Luke 15:25

15:25 “Now his older son was in the field. As ¹  he came and approached the house, he heard music ²  and dancing.

Luke 15:29

15:29 but he answered ³  his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave ⁴  for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet ⁵  you never gave me even a goat ⁶  so that I could celebrate with my friends!

¹ tn Grk “And as.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² sn This would have been primarily instrumental music, but might include singing as well.

³ tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”

⁴ tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.

⁶ sn You never gave me even a goat. The older son’s complaint was that the generous treatment of the younger son was not fair: “I can’t get even a little celebration with a basic food staple like a goat!”