The Parable of the Lost Sheep

1 Now ^zthe tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes ^agrumbled, saying, ^b“This man receives sinners and ^ceats with them.”

3 So he told them this parable: 4 ^d“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, ^eif he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine ^fin the open country, and ^ggo after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, ^hhe lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for ⁱI have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who ^jrepents than over ninety-nine ^krighteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins,¹ if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before ^lthe angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Instructions for the Church

1 ^bDo not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, ^cyounger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

3 Honor widows ^dwho are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn ^eto show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for ^fthis is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 She ^gwho is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and ^hcontinues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but ⁱshe who is self-indulgent is ^jdead even while she lives. 7 ^kCommand these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for ^lmembers of his household, he has ^mdenied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been ⁿthe wife of one husband,¹ 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has ⁿshown hospitality, ^ohas washed the feet of the saints, has ^pcared for the afflicted, and has ^qdevoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when ^rtheir passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also ^sgossips and ^tbusybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have ^uyounger widows marry, bear children, ^vmanage their households, and ^wgive the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 ^xFor some have already strayed after Satan.

Warning Against the Adulteress

Ezra Prays About Intermarriage

1 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the ^eLevites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands ^fwith their abominations, from the ^gCanaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 ^hFor they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the ⁱholy race¹ has ^jmixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” 3 As soon as I heard this, I ^ktore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and ^lsat appalled. 4 Then all who ^mtrembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat ⁿappalled until the evening sacrifice. 5 And at the ⁿevening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment ^kand my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees ^oand spread out my hands to the Lord my God, 6 saying:

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities ^phave risen higher than our heads, and our ^qguilt has ^rmounted up to the heavens. 7 ^sFrom the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great ^qguilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, ^tand to utter shame, as it is today. 8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a ^uremnant and to give us a ^vsecure hold² within his holy place, that our God may ^wbrighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. 9 ^xFor we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, ^ybut has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection³ in Judea and Jerusalem.

10 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, 11 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with ^ztheir uncleanness. 12 ^aTherefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land ^band leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for ^cour great guilt, seeing that you, our ^dGod, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a ^eremnant as this, 14 shall we break your commandments again and ^fintermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us ^guntil you consumed us, so that there should be no ^eremnant, nor any to escape? 15 O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a ^eremnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our ^hguilt, ⁱfor none can stand before you because of this.”