1 Then
all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying,
“This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3
So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep,
if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness,
and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5
And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 which was
lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will
be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine
just persons who need no repentance."