The Parable of the Prodigal Son

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me ^mthe share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided ⁿhis property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in ^oreckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to¹ one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he ^pwas longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But ^qwhen he ^rcame to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, ^sI have sinned against ^theaven and before you. 19 ^uI am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ^vran and ^wembraced him and ^xkissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. ^uI am no longer worthy to be called your son.’² 22 But the father said to his servants,³ ‘Bring quickly ^ythe best robe, and put it on him, and put ^za ring on his hand, and ^ashoes on his feet. 23 And bring ^bthe fattened calf and kill it, and ^clet us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son ^dwas dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Sons and Heirs

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,¹ though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, ^cwere enslaved to the elementary principles² of the world. 4 But ^dwhen the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, ^eborn ^fof woman, born ^gunder the law, 5 ^hto redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive ⁱadoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent ^jthe Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then ^kan heir through God.

11 The saying is ^qtrustworthy, for:

for ^xhe cannot deny himself.