Section XXVI.

[1, 2] 1733    Luke xv. 1.And there came unto him publicans and sinners to hear his word.  1734    Luke xv. 2.And the scribes and the Pharisees murmured, and said, This man receiveth sinners, and [3] eateth with them.  1735    Luke xv. 3.And Jesus, when he beheld their murmuring, spake unto them [4] this parable:  1736    Luke xv. 4.What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if one of them were lost, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go and seek the straying one [5] till he found it?  1737    Matt. xviii. 13.Verily I say unto you, When he findeth it, he will rejoice over it [6] more than over the ninety-nine that went not astray; 1738    Luke xv. 5b.and bear it on his shoulders, and bring it to his house, and call his friends and neighbours, 1739    Luke xv. 6.and say unto them, [7] Rejoice with me, since I have found my straying sheep.  1740    Matt. xviii. 14.So your Father which is in heaven willeth1741    Strictly, preferreth, but used also as in the text. not that one of these little ones that have strayed should perish, [8] and he seeketh for them repentance.  1742    Luke xv. 7.I say unto you, Thus there shall be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety-nine righteous persons that do not need repentance.

[9] 1743    Luke xv. 8.And what woman having ten drachmas would lose one of them, and not light a [10] lamp, and sweep the house, and seek it with care till she found it; 1744    Luke xv. 9.and when she found it, call her friends and neighbours, and say unto them, Rejoice with me, as I [11] have found my drachma that was lost?  1745    Luke xv. 10.I say unto you, Thus there shall be joy [Arabic, p. 101] before the angels of God over the one sinner that repenteth, more than over the ninety-nine righteous persons that do not need repentance.

[12, 13] 1746    Luke xv. 11.And Jesus spake unto them also another parable:  1747    Luke xv. 12.A man had two sons:  and the younger son said unto him, My father, give me my portion that belongeth to [14] me of thy goods.  1748    Luke xv. 13.And he divided between them his property.  And after a few days the younger son gathered everything that belonged to him, and went into a [15] far country, and there squandered his property by living prodigally.  1749    Luke xv. 14.And when he had exhausted everything he had, there occurred a great dearth in that country.  [16] 1750    Luke xv. 15.And when he was in want, he went and joined himself to one of the people of a city [17] of that country; and that man sent him into the field1751    This word is regularly used throughout this work in this sense. to feed the swine.  1752    Luke xv. 16.And he used to long to fill his belly with the carob that those swine were eating:  and no man [18] gave him.  1753    Luke xv. 17.And when he returned unto himself, he said, How many hired servants now in my father’s house have bread enough and to spare, while I here perish with [19] hunger!  1754    Luke xv. 18.I will arise and go to my father’s house, and say unto him, My father, 1755    Luke xv. 19.I [20] have sinned in heaven and before thee, and am not worthy now to be called thy [21] son:  make me as one of thy hired servants.  1756    Luke xv. 20.And he arose, and came to his father.  But his father saw him while he was at a distance, and was moved with compassion [22] for him, and ran,1757    See above, § 24, 26, note. and fell on his breast,1758    Did not Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (Brit. Mus. text) also read breast, we might assume it to be a clerical error for a very similar (less common) word (same as the Syriac) for neck. and kissed him.  1759    Luke xv. 21.And his son said unto him, My father, I have sinned in heaven and before thee, and am not worthy to be [23] called thy son.  1760    Luke xv. 22.His father said unto his servants, Bring forth a stately robe, and put [24] it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and put on him shoes on his feet:  1761    Luke xv. 23.and bring and [25] slay a fatted ox, that we may eat and make merry:  1762    Luke xv. 24.for this my son was dead, and is [26] [Arabic, p. 102] alive; and was lost, and is found.  1763    Luke xv. 25.And they began to be merry.1764    A different word.  Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and drew near to the house, [27] he heard the sound of many singing.1765    cf. Peshitta.  1766    Luke xv. 26.And he called one of the lads, and asked him [28] what this was.  1767    Luke xv. 27.He said unto him, Thy brother hath arrived; and thy father hath [29] slain a fatted ox, since he hath received him safe and sound.1768    One word.  1769    Luke xv. 28.And he was angry, [30] and would not enter; so his father went out, and besought him to enter.  1770    Luke xv. 29.And he said to his father, How many years do I serve thee in bondage, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and thou hast never given me a kid, that I might [31] make merry with my friends? 1771    Luke xv. 30.but this thy son, when he had squandered thy [32] property with harlots, and come, thou hast slain for him a fatted ox.  1772    Luke xv. 31.His father said unto him, My son, thou art at all times with me, and everything I have is [33] thine.  1773    Luke xv. 32.It behoveth thee to rejoice and make merry, since this thy brother was dead, and is alive; and was lost, and is found.

[34] 1774    Luke xvi. 1.And he spake a parable unto his disciples:  There was a rich man, and he had [35] a steward; and he was accused to him that he had squandered his property.  1775    Luke xvi. 2.So his lord called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear regarding thee?  Give me the account of thy stewardship; for it is now impossible that thou shouldest [36] be a steward for me.  1776    Luke xvi. 3.The steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh from me the stewardship?  To dig I am not able; and to beg1777    Vat. ms. (followed by Ciasca’s text) has and if I beg, by a common confusion of grammatical forms. I [37] am ashamed.  1778    Luke xvi. 4.I know what I will do, that, when I go out of the stewardship, they [38] may receive me into their houses.  1779    Luke xvi. 5.And he called one after another of his lord’s [39] debtors, and said to the first, How much owest thou my lord?  1780    Luke xvi. 6.He said unto him, An hundred portions1781    Or (otherwise vocalised), farks, a measure variously estimated. of oil.  He said unto him, Take thy writing, and sit down, and write [40] quickly fifty portions.1782    Or (otherwise vocalised), farks, a measure variously estimated.  1783    Luke xvi. 7.And he said to the next, And thou, how much owest thou my lord?  He said unto him, An hundred cors of wheat.  He said unto him, Take [41] [Arabic, p. 103] thy writing, and sit down, and write eighty cors.  1784    Luke xvi. 8.And our1785    cf. Peshitta. lord commended the sinful steward1786    Lit. steward of sin. because he had done a wise deed; for the children [42] of this world are wiser than the children of the light in this their age.  1787    Luke xvi. 9.And I also say unto you, Make unto yourselves friends with the wealth of this unrighteousness;1788    Lit. injustice. [43] so that, when it is exhausted, they may receive you into their tents for ever.  1789    Luke xvi. 10.He who is faithful in1790    Or, intrusted with. a little is faithful also in much:  and he who is unrighteous in a [44] little is unrighteous also in much.  1791    Luke xvi. 11.If then in the wealth of unrighteousness ye were [45] not trustworthy, who will intrust you with the truth?1792    Or, true (wealth); but cf. Syriac.  1793    Luke xvi. 12.If ye are not found faithful in what does not belong to you, who will give you what belongeth to you?