[continued from previous message]   
      
   'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.   
   I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'   
   22 (Ge 41:42; Rev 6:11) "But the father said to his servants,   
   'Bring out the best robe and put it on him.   
   And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.   
   23 Bring here the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry.   
   24 (Lk 15:32; Eph 2:1) For this son of mine was dead, and is alive again;   
   he was lost, and is found.' So they began to be merry.   
   25 "Now his older son was in the field. As he came and drew near the house,   
   he heard music and dancing.   
   26 So he called one of the servants and asked what this meant.   
   27 He said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed   
   the fattened calf, because he has received him safe and sound.'   
   28 "He was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out   
   and entreated him.   
   29 But he answered his father, 'Look! These many years have I served you.   
   Nor have I ever transgressed your commands, yet never have you given me   
   a goat, so that I might be merry with my friends.   
   30 (Pr 29:3; Lk 15:12-13) But when this son of yours came,   
   who has devoured your living with harlots,   
   you killed the fattened calf for him.'   
   31 "He said to him, 'Son, you are always with me,   
   and all that I have is yours.   
   32 (Lk 15:24) But it was fitting to be merry and be glad,   
   for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again;   
   he was lost and is found.'"   
      
   [11] And he said, A certain man had two sons:   
   [12] And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion   
   of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.   
   [13] And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took   
   his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous   
   living.   
   [14] And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land;   
   and he began to be in want.   
   [15] And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he   
   sent him into his fields to feed swine.   
   [16] And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine   
   did eat: and no man gave unto him.   
   [17] And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my   
   father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!   
   [18] I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have   
   sinned against heaven, and before thee,   
   [19] And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired   
   servants.   
   [20] And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way   
   off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck,   
   and kissed him.   
   [21] And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in   
   thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.   
   [22] But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put   
   it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:   
   [23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be   
   merry:   
   [24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is   
   found. And they began to be merry.   
   [25] Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the   
   house, he heard musick and dancing.   
   [26] And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.   
   [27] And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed   
   the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.   
   [28] And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out,   
   and intreated him.   
   [29] And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve   
   thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never   
   gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:   
   [30] But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living   
   with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.   
   [31] And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have   
   is thine.   
   [32] It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy   
   brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.   
      
   Luke 16   
   The Parable of the Dishonest Steward   
      
   1 (Lk 15:13; 12:42) He told His disciples: "There was a rich man who had   
   a steward who was accused to the man of wasting his resources.   
   2 So he called him and said, 'How is it that I hear this about you?   
   Give an account of your stewardship, for you may no longer be steward.'   
   3 "Then the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, for my master   
   is taking away the stewardship from me? I cannot dig. I am ashamed to beg.   
   4 I know what to do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship,   
   others may receive me into their houses.'   
   5 "So he called each of his master's debtors, and said to the first,   
   'How much do you owe my master?'   
   6 "He said, 'Eight hundred gallons (Gk. 100 batous, or 3 kiloliters.) of oil.'   
   "He said to him, 'Take your bill,   
   and sit down quickly and write four hundred."   
   7 "Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'   
   "He said, 'One thousand bushels (Gk. 100 korous, or 35 kiloliters.) of wheat.'   
   "He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eight hundred.'   
   8 (Jn 12:36; Eph 5:8) "The master commended the dishonest steward,   
   because he had acted prudently. For the sons of this world are wiser   
   in their own generation than the sons of light.   
   9 (Mt 19:21; Lk 16:11) I say to you, make friends for yourself by means   
   of unrighteous wealth, so that when you fall short,   
   they may receive you into eternal dwellings.   
   10 (Mt 25:21; Lk 19:17) "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful   
   also in much. And he who is dishonest in the least is dishonest also in much.   
   11 So if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth,   
   who will commit to your trust the true riches?   
   12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man's,   
   who will give you that which is your own?   
   13 (Mt 6:24; Lk 16:9) "No servant can serve two masters.   
   Either he will hate the one and love the other,   
   or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.   
   You cannot serve God and wealth."   
      
   [1] And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which   
   had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his   
   goods.   
   [2] And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of   
   thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer   
   steward.   
   [3] Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord   
   taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.   
   [4] I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship,   
   they may receive me into their houses.   
   [5] So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the   
   first, How much owest thou unto my lord?   
   [6] And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy   
   bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.   
   [7] Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An   
   hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write   
   fourscore.   
   [8] And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely:   
   for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the   
   children of light.   
   [9] And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of   
   unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting   
   habitations.   
   [10] He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:   
   and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)