Matthieu 18

Who is greatest in the kingdom

¹Just then the disciples came to Jesus with a question: “So who ranks highest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a little child over and stood the child among them. ³Then he said, “Truly I tell you, if you do not turn around and become like children, you will not get into the kingdom of heaven at all. ⁴So the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is anyone who takes a low place, as this child does. ⁵And when someone welcomes a child like this for my sake, it is me they welcome.

Woe to those who trip up the little ones

⁶But if anyone leads into sin one of these little ones who believe in me, that person would be better off sunk far out at sea with a great millstone fastened around their neck. ⁷Woe to the world for the snares that trip people into sin! Such snares are sure to come, but woe to anyone who brings one about!

⁸If your hand or your foot leads you into sin, cut it off and get rid of it. You are better off entering life maimed or lame than keeping both hands or both feet and being thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹And if your eye leads you into sin, pull it out and get rid of it. You are better off entering life with one eye than keeping both eyes and being thrown into the fire of hell.

The Father seeks the sheep that strays

¹⁰Take care never to look down on a single one of these little ones. I tell you, their angels in heaven stand always in the presence of my Father in heaven.^{a 12}Tell me what you think. Suppose someone owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders off. Will the owner not leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and set out to search for the one that strayed? ¹³And if the owner does find it, truly I tell you, that one sheep brings more delight than the ninety-nine that never wandered off. ¹⁴So too, your Father in heaven does not wish to lose even one of these little ones.

When a fellow believer sins against you

¹⁵If a brother or sister sins against you, go and confront them about it, with only the two of you present.^b If they will listen to you, you have won your brother or sister back. ¹⁶If they still will not listen, go back with one or two others, so that ‘every charge may be settled on the word of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷If they will not hear them either, bring the matter before the church. And if they will not hear the church either, regard them as an outsider, like a Gentile or a tax collector. ¹⁸Truly I tell you, what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.^c

¹⁹And again, truly I tell you: if two of you here on earth are of one mind about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For whenever two or three come together in my name, I am there among them.”

How many times to forgive

²¹Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if a brother or sister keeps on sinning against me, how many times must I forgive? As many as seven times?” ²²Jesus told him, “Not just up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.^d

The slave who would not forgive

²³That is why the kingdom of heaven is like this: a king decided it was time to go over the accounts of the slaves who served him. ²⁴As he began, a man was brought before him who owed him a sum no worker could earn in a hundred thousand years. ²⁵He had no means of paying, so his master gave orders for him to be sold, together with his wife, his children and all he owned, to pay toward the debt. ²⁶At that the slave threw himself to the ground before him and pleaded, ‘Give me time, and I will pay back all of it.’ ²⁷The master was moved with pity for that slave. He set him free and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But no sooner had that slave left than he came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him about a hundred days’ wages. He grabbed him by the throat. ‘Pay me what you owe!’ he said. ²⁹His fellow slave dropped to the ground and pleaded with him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰But he would not hear of it. He went off and had the man put in prison until the debt was paid. ³¹When the other slaves saw what had taken place, they were deeply upset. They went to their master and told him the whole story. ³²So the master had him called back and said to him, ‘Wicked slave! You pleaded with me, and I forgave you the whole of that debt. ³³Should you not have shown your fellow slave the same mercy I showed you?’ ³⁴Then the master, now angry, gave him over to the torturers, to stay with them until he had repaid the whole debt.

³⁵My Father in heaven will deal with you in the same way if you do not forgive your brother or sister from the heart, each one of you.”