1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying,
“This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable:
4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness
and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them,
“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven
over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
“My Lord and Savior welcomes sinners to His table;
May I follow your ways the rest of my life,
so I may taste that Heavenly banquet!”