Section XXVI.

[1, 2] ¹⁸⁰⁷Luke xv. 1.And there came unto him publicans and sinners to hear his word. ¹⁸⁰⁸Luke xv. 2.And the scribes and the Pharisees murmured, and said, This man receiveth sinners, and [3] eateth with them. ¹⁸⁰⁹Luke xv. 3.And Jesus, when he beheld their murmuring, spake unto them [4] this parable: ¹⁸¹⁰Luke 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? ¹⁸¹¹Matt. 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; ¹⁸¹²Luke xv. 5b.and bear it on his shoulders, and bring it to his house, and call his friends and neighbours, ¹⁸¹³Luke xv. 6.and say unto them, [7] Rejoice with me, since I have found my straying sheep. ¹⁸¹⁴Matt. xviii. 14.So your Father which is in heaven willeth¹⁸¹⁵Strictly, 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. ¹⁸¹⁶Luke 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] ¹⁸¹⁷Luke 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; ¹⁸¹⁸Luke 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? ¹⁸¹⁹Luke 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] ¹⁸²⁰Luke xv. 11.And Jesus spake unto them also another parable: ¹⁸²¹Luke 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. ¹⁸²²Luke 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. ¹⁸²³Luke xv. 14.And when he had exhausted everything he had, there occurred a great dearth in that country. [16] ¹⁸²⁴Luke 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 field¹⁸²⁵This word is regularly used throughout this work in this sense. to feed the swine. ¹⁸²⁶Luke 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. ¹⁸²⁷Luke 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! ¹⁸²⁸Luke xv. 18.I will arise and go to my father’s house, and say unto him, My father, ¹⁸²⁹Luke 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. ¹⁸³⁰Luke 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,¹⁸³¹See above, § 24, 26, note. and fell on his breast,¹⁸³²Did 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. ¹⁸³³Luke 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. ¹⁸³⁴Luke 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: ¹⁸³⁵Luke xv. 23.and bring and [25] slay a fatted ox, that we may eat and make merry: ¹⁸³⁶Luke xv. 24.for this my son was dead, and is [26] [Arabic, p. 102] alive; and was lost, and is found. ¹⁸³⁷Luke xv. 25.And they began to be merry.¹⁸³⁸A 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.¹⁸³⁹cf. Peshitta. ¹⁸⁴⁰Luke xv. 26.And he called one of the lads, and asked him [28] what this was. ¹⁸⁴¹Luke 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.¹⁸⁴²One word. ¹⁸⁴³Luke xv. 28.And he was angry, [30] and would not enter; so his father went out, and besought him to enter. ¹⁸⁴⁴Luke 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? ¹⁸⁴⁵Luke 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. ¹⁸⁴⁶Luke xv. 31.His father said unto him, My son, thou art at all times with me, and everything I have is [33] thine. ¹⁸⁴⁷Luke 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] ¹⁸⁴⁸Luke 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. ¹⁸⁴⁹Luke 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. ¹⁸⁵⁰Luke 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 beg¹⁸⁵¹Vat. ms. (followed by Ciasca’s text) has and if I beg, by a common confusion of grammatical forms. I [37] am ashamed. ¹⁸⁵²Luke xvi. 4.I know what I will do, that, when I go out of the stewardship, they [38] may receive me into their houses. ¹⁸⁵³Luke 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? ¹⁸⁵⁴Luke xvi. 6.He said unto him, An hundred portions¹⁸⁵⁵Or (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.¹⁸⁵⁶Or (otherwise vocalised), farks, a measure variously estimated. ¹⁸⁵⁷Luke 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. ¹⁸⁵⁸Luke xvi. 8.And our¹⁸⁵⁹cf. Peshitta. lord commended the sinful steward¹⁸⁶⁰Lit. 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. ¹⁸⁶¹Luke xvi. 9.And I also say unto you, Make unto yourselves friends with the wealth of this unrighteousness;¹⁸⁶²Lit. injustice. [43] so that, when it is exhausted, they may receive you into their tents for ever. ¹⁸⁶³Luke xvi. 10.He who is faithful in¹⁸⁶⁴Or, intrusted with. a little is faithful also in much: and he who is unrighteous in a [44] little is unrighteous also in much. ¹⁸⁶⁵Luke xvi. 11.If then in the wealth of unrighteousness ye were [45] not trustworthy, who will intrust you with the truth?¹⁸⁶⁶Or, true (wealth); but cf. Syriac. ¹⁸⁶⁷Luke xvi. 12.If ye are not found faithful in what does not belong to you, who will give you what belongeth to you?