# these many years

"for many years"

# I slaved for you

"I worked extremely hard for you" or "I worked as hard as a slave for you"

# never broke a rule of yours

"never disobeyed any of your commands" or "always obeyed everything you told me to do"

# a young goat

A young goat was smaller and less expensive than a fatted calf. AT: "even a young goat" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# your son

"that son of yours." The older son refers to his brother this way in order to show how angry he is.

# devoured your living

Food is a metaphor for money. After one eats food, the food is no longer there and there is nothing to eat. The money that the brother had received was no longer there and there was no more to spend. AT: "wasted all your wealth" or "thrown away all your money" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# with prostitutes

Possible meanings are 1) he assumed this is how his brother spent the money or 2) he speaks of prostitutes to exaggerate the sinfulness of his brother's actions in the "country far away" ([Luke 15:13](./13.md)). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])

# fattened calf

A calf is a young cow. People would give one of their calves special food so that it would grow well, and then when they wanted to have a special feast, they would eat that calf. See how you translated this phrase in [Luke 15:23](./22.md). AT: "the best calf" or "the young animal we have been making fat" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])