THE PRODIGAL SON.

: New Testament Stories

A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his

father, "Father, give me the portion of thy wealth that would fall to

me at thy death." He did so, and a few days after the younger son

gathered all his wealth together and journeyed into a far country.

There he met with evil companions, and wasted his money in riotous

living. When he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that

land, and he began to
be in want of bread to eat. So he went and hired

himself to a man of that country, who sent him into the fields to feed

his pigs. And he was so hungry that he would have been glad to have

eaten the coarse food such as the swine eat; but no one gave it to

him.



His sufferings brought him to his senses, and he thought how foolish

he had been, for he remembered that his father's servants had food

enough and to spare, whilst his father's son was perishing with

hunger. He said, "I will leave this land and go to my father and tell

him how I have sinned against heaven and him. I will tell him I am no

longer worthy to be called his son, and will implore him to make me

one of his hired servants." And he arose and went towards his father's

house, but when he was still a great way off, his father saw him, and

was sorry for him, and ran and embraced him. Then he told his father

how he had sinned and had lost his title to be called the old man's

son, but the father was so glad to have his son come back repentant,

that he told his servants to bring the best clothing and a ring to put

on his son. And he made a great feast, and they were merry, for he

said, "This is my son that was as one dead to me and is now alive

again; he was lost and is found."





But the elder son was very angry, and would not go in to the feast,

but said to his father, "Lo, these many years have I served thee, and

never offended or disobeyed thee, and thou hast never made a feast for

me and my friends; but now this thy other son has come back, that has

wasted thy wealth in riotous living, thou hast made a great feast for

him." And his father said, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all I have

is thine. It is right that we should make merry and be glad, for this

thy brother was as one dead to us and is alive again; he was lost and

is found."



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