Matthew 18

¹In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?

²And calling a child to him, Jesus set it in their midst,

³And he said, Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you shall never enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

⁴Whoever therefore will humble himself like this little child, this one is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens.

⁵And whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.

⁶But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him that a donkey-millstone be hung around his neck and he be drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁷Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

⁸And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you; it is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire.

⁹And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter into life one-eyed than, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.

¹⁰See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in the heavens continually behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens.

¹¹For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.

¹²What do you think? If a man comes to have a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and, having gone, seek the one going astray?

¹³And if he happens to find it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that had not gone astray.

¹⁴So it is not the will before your Father who is in the heavens that one of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵And if your brother sins against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

¹⁶But if he will not hear you, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

¹⁷But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.

¹⁸Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.

¹⁹Again, truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning any matter that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in the heavens.

²⁰For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst.

²¹Then Peter came and said to him, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?

²²Jesus says to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.

²³Therefore the kingdom of the heavens has become like a man, a king, who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

²⁴And when he had begun to settle accounts, one debtor of ten thousand talents was brought to him.

²⁵But since he did not have the means to repay, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.

²⁶Therefore the slave, falling down, was bowing before him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.

²⁷And the master of that slave, moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.

²⁸But that slave, going out, found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him he began to choke him, saying, Pay what you owe!

²⁹So his fellow servant, having fallen down at his feet, was begging him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'

³⁰But he was not willing; rather, having gone, he threw him into prison until he should pay what was owed.

³¹So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly grieved, and they came and reported to their master all that had happened.

³²Then his master, having summoned him, says to him, 'Wicked slave! All that debt I forgave you, because you begged me.'

³³Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I also had mercy on you?

³⁴And his master, having become angry, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed to him.

³⁵So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your hearts their trespasses.