Matthew 18
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 He called a child and placed the child among them.
3 And he said, “Truly I tell you: unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5 And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.
6 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a donkey-driven millstone hung around his neck and to be sunk in the depths of the sea.
7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! For such things must come, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling comes.
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than, with both hands or both feet, to be thrown into the eternal fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than, with both eyes, to be thrown into the fiery Gehenna.”
10 “Be careful not to despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
12 What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go looking for the one that wandered away?
13 And if he happens to find it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.
14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that even one of these little ones should be lost.
15 If your brother sins, go and point out his fault to him, just between you and him. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.
16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
17 If he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
18 Truly I tell you: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.
19 Again, truly I tell you: if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I tell you, not as many as seven times, but as many as seventy times seven.
23 For this reason, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 When he began to settle them, someone who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 Since he had no means to pay, the master ordered that he be sold, along with his wife, children, and everything he owned, and that the debt be paid.
26 Then the servant fell down before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’
27 Moved with compassion, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the loan.
28 But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He seized him and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’
29 Then his fellow servant fell down before him and pleaded, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you.’
30 But he refused. He went and threw him into prison until he paid what he owed.
31 When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 Then his master summoned him and said, ‘You wicked servant, I forgave you that whole debt because you pleaded with me.
33 Shouldn’t you also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had compassion on you?’
34 And in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he paid everything he owed him.
35 So my heavenly Father will do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from the heart.”
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