But he answered his father,‘ Look! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I have always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

他对父亲说：‘我服侍你这多年，从来没有违背过你的命，你并没有给我一只山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同快乐。

他对父亲说：‘你看，我服侍你这么多年，从来没有违背过你的命令，而你从来没有给我一只小山羊，叫我和朋友们一同快乐。

他对父亲说：‘你看，我服侍你这么多年，从来没有违背过你的命令，而你从来没有给我一只小山羊，叫我和朋友们一同快乐。

“他对父亲说，‘你看，我伺候你这么多年，从来没有违背过你的命令，可是你没有给过我一只羊羔，让我和朋友一同欢宴。

他对父亲说：‘你看，我服事你这么多年，从来没有违背过你的命令，可是你没有给我一只山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同欢乐。

他回答父亲，说：‘你看，我服事你这么多年，从来没有违背过你的命令，可是你从来没有给过我一只小山羊，好让我与朋友们一同庆祝。

他對父親說：『我服事你這多年，從來沒有違背過你的命，你並沒有給我一隻山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同快樂。

他對父親說：『你看，我服侍你這麼多年，從來沒有違背過你的命令，而你從來沒有給我一隻小山羊，叫我和朋友們一同快樂。

他對父親說：『你看，我服侍你這麼多年，從來沒有違背過你的命令，而你從來沒有給我一隻小山羊，叫我和朋友們一同快樂。

「他對父親說，『你看，我伺候你這麼多年，從來沒有違背過你的命令，可是你沒有給過我一隻羊羔，讓我和朋友一同歡宴。

他對父親說：‘你看，我服事你這麼多年，從來沒有違背過你的命令，可是你沒有給我一隻山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同歡樂。

他回答他父親說：「你看，我服事了你這麼多年，從未疏忽過你的命令；你也從未給過我一隻山羊羔，讓我和我的朋友一同快樂。

他回答父親，說：『你看，我服事你這麼多年，從來沒有違背過你的命令，可是你從來沒有給過我一隻小山羊，好讓我與朋友們一同慶祝。

長子謂父曰、我事爾多年、從無違命、而爾未嘗賜我一羔、俾我與友同樂、

長子曰、我事父有年、未嘗違命、父未嘗以羔賜我、俾得與友同樂、

長子對父曰、我事父多年、未嘗違命、父未以羔賜我、俾我與友同樂、

長子曰：「兒事父有年、未嘗有違、父向未賜兒一羔、與朋儕共讌。

But he answered his father,‘ Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

but he answered his father,‘ Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

but he replied,‘ All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.

But he replied to his father,‘ Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends.

But he answered and said to his father,‘ Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you never gave me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;

So he answered and said to his father,‘ Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.

But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

But he replied to his father,‘ Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

And he answering said to[ his] father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

but he answered his father,‘ Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!

But he answered his father,‘ Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed.‘ God, I thank you that I am not like other people,’ he said.‘ I am not like robbers or those who do other evil things. I am not like those who commit adultery. I am not even like this tax collector.I fast twice a week. And I give a tenth of all I get.’

Day after day they worship me. They seem ready and willing to know how I want them to live. They act as if they were a nation that does what is right. They act as if they have not turned away from my commands. They claim to want me to give them fair decisions. They seem ready and willing to come near and worship me.‘ We have gone without food,’ they say.‘ Why haven’t you noticed it? We have made ourselves suffer. Why haven’t you paid any attention to us?’“ On the day when you fast, you do as you please. You take advantage of all your workers.

Before I knew about the law, I was alive. But then the commandment came. Sin came to life, and I died.

I have many reasons to trust in who I am and what I have done. Someone else may think they have reasons to trust in these things. But I have even more.I was circumcised on the eighth day. I am part of the people of Israel. I am from the tribe of Benjamin. I am a pure Hebrew. As far as the law is concerned, I am a Pharisee.As far as being committed is concerned, I opposed and attacked the church. As far as keeping the law is concerned, I kept it perfectly.

They didn’t know that God’s power makes people right with himself. They tried to get right with God in their own way. They didn’t do it in God’s way.

It’s the same with you. Suppose you have done everything you were told to do. Then you should say,‘ We are not worthy to serve you. We have only done our duty.’ ”

You know what the commandments say.‘ Do not commit adultery. Do not commit murder. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. Honor your father and mother.’ ”( Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20)“ I have obeyed all those commandments since I was a boy,” the ruler said.

‘ Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will give that person hidden manna to eat. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it. Only the one who receives this name will know what it is.’

So who can brag? No one! Are people saved by the law that requires them to obey? Not at all! They are saved because of the law that requires faith.

‘ These people who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said.‘ You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.’

When Samuel got there, Saul said,“ May the Lord bless you. I’ve done what he directed me to do.”But Samuel said,“ Then why do I hear the baaing of sheep? Why do I hear the mooing of cattle?”

They say,‘ Keep away! Don’t come near us! We are too sacred for you!’ Those people are like smoke in my nose. They are like a fire that keeps burning all day.

“ You have said,‘ It is useless to serve God. What do we gain by obeying his laws? And what do we get by pretending to be sad in front of the Lord?

Suppose we claim we are without sin. Then we are fooling ourselves. The truth is not in us.But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar. His word is not in us.

You say,“ I am rich. I’ve become wealthy and don’t need anything.” But you don’t realize how pitiful and miserable you have become. You are poor, blind and naked.

I tell you, it will be the same in heaven. There will be great joy when one sinner turns away from sin. Yes, there will be more joy than for 99 godly people who do not need to turn away from their sins.

“ But you treat my name as if it were not holy. You say the Lord’ s altar is‘ unclean.’ And you look down on its food.You say,‘ What a heavy load our work is!’ And you turn up your nose. You act as if you hate working for me,” says the Lord who rules over all.“ You bring animals that have been hurt. Or you bring disabled or sick animals. Then you dare to offer them to me as sacrifices! Should I accept them from you?” says the Lord.

Jesus told a story to some people who were sure they were right with God. They looked down on everyone else.

I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in. You harvest what you did not plant.’

They went to the prophets and priests at the Lord’ s temple. They asked them,“ Should we mourn and go without eating in the fifth month? That’s what we’ve done for many years.”

So no one will be considered right with God by obeying the law. Instead, the law makes us more aware of our sin.