Section XXVI.

[1, 2] ^18071807    Luke xv. 1.And there came unto him publicans and sinners to hear his word.  ^18081808    Luke xv. 2.And the scribes and the Pharisees murmured, and said, This man receiveth sinners, and [3] eateth with them.  ^18091809    Luke xv. 3.And Jesus, when he beheld their murmuring, spake unto them [4] this parable:  ^18101810    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?  ^18111811    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; ^18121812    Luke xv. 5b.and bear it on his shoulders, and bring it to his house, and call his friends and neighbours, ^18131813    Luke xv. 6.and say unto them, [7] Rejoice with me, since I have found my straying sheep.  ^18141814    Matt. xviii. 14.So your Father which is in heaven willeth^18151815    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.  ^18161816    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] ^18171817    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; ^18181818    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?  ^18191819    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] ^18201820    Luke xv. 11.And Jesus spake unto them also another parable:  ^18211821    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.  ^18221822    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.  ^18231823    Luke xv. 14.And when he 84had exhausted everything he had, there occurred a great dearth in that country.  [16] ^18241824    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 field^18251825    This word is regularly used throughout this work in this sense. to feed the swine.  ^18261826    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.  ^18271827    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!  ^18281828    Luke xv. 18.I will arise and go to my father’s house, and say unto him, My father, ^18291829    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.  ^18301830    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,^18311831    See above, § 24, 26, note. and fell on his breast,^18321832    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.  ^18331833    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.  ^18341834    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:  ^18351835    Luke xv. 23.and bring and [25] slay a fatted ox, that we may eat and make merry:  ^18361836    Luke xv. 24.for this my son was dead, and is [26] [Arabic, p. 102] alive; and was lost, and is found.  ^18371837    Luke xv. 25.And they began to be merry.^18381838    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.^18391839    cf. Peshitta.  ^18401840    Luke xv. 26.And he called one of the lads, and asked him [28] what this was.  ^18411841    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.^18421842    One word.  ^18431843    Luke xv. 28.And he was angry, [30] and would not enter; so his father went out, and besought him to enter.  ^18441844    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? ^18451845    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.  ^18461846    Luke xv. 31.His father said unto him, My son, thou art at all times with me, and everything I have is [33] thine.  ^18471847    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] ^18481848    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.  ^18491849    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.  ^18501850    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 beg^18511851    Vat. ms. (followed by Ciasca’s text) has and if I beg, by a common confusion of grammatical forms. I [37] am ashamed.  ^18521852    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.  ^18531853    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?  ^18541854    Luke xvi. 6.He said unto him, An hundred portions^18551855    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.^18561856    Or (otherwise vocalised), farks, a measure variously estimated.  ^18571857    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.  ^18581858    Luke xvi. 8.And our^18591859    cf. Peshitta. lord commended the sinful steward^18601860    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.  ^18611861    Luke xvi. 9.And I also say unto you, Make unto yourselves friends with the wealth of this unrighteousness;^18621862    Lit. injustice. [43] so that, when it is exhausted, they may receive you into their tents for ever.  ^18631863    Luke xvi. 10.He who is faithful in^18641864    Or, intrusted with. a little is faithful also in much:  and he who is unrighteous in a [44] little is unrighteous also in much.  ^18651865    Luke xvi. 11.If then in the wealth of unrighteousness ye were [45] not trustworthy, who will intrust you with the truth?^18661866    Or, true (wealth); but cf. Syriac.  ^18671867    Luke xvi. 12.If ye are not found faithful in what does not belong to you, who will give you what belongeth to you?