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Alright, here's The Parable of the Lost Son. I'm going to post it in NIV and Message, NIV will be in green, and Message in blue. That way you can compare the two stories, see if one translation provides any additional insight to you or not. This is one of my favorite parables, because I can relate to it. It's from Luke 15: 11-32.
(11)Jesus continued, "There was a man who had two sons. (12) The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
(13)"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country, and there squandered his wealth in wild living. (14)After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. (15)So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. (16)He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
(17)"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (1 cool I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' (20) So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
(21)"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and I have sinned against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
(22)"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. (23) Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. (24)For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
(25)"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. (26)So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. (27)'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
(2 cool "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So the father went out and pleaded with him. (29) 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 that I could celebrate with my friends. (30) But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the flattened calf for him!'
(31)" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me and everything I have is yours. (32)But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."
Then he said, "There once was a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'
"So the father divided the property between them It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country, and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.
"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him: Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.
"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
"But the Father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here- given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.
"All this time his older son was out in the fields. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. You father has ordered a feast- barbecued beef!- because he has him home safe and sound.'
"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'
"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours- but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, he's found!' "
I would put the King James Version too, but my hands hurt now. So you can just compare these two. Parables are one of my favorite things to study. In my youth group we take each major thing in the story and figure out its purpose and how it relates to the kingdom of God, because all parables are to tell about God's kingdom. For example, what is the famine representative of and why is it significant? What is the significance of the father? Of each of the sons?
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