Chapter 18

1At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2Jesus called a child over and had the child stand among them.

3He said, “I tell you the truth: unless you change direction and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4Therefore, whoever becomes as humble as this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5Whoever welcomes one child like this because of me welcomes me.

6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trust in me to fall away, it would be better for that person to have a huge millstone—the kind turned by a donkey—hung around their neck and to be drowned in the deep sea.

7How terrible for the world that there are things that cause people to fall! Such things are bound to come, but how terrible for the person who causes them!

8If your hand or foot leads you away from God, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to enter eternal life without a hand or foot than to have both hands and both feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

9If your eye leads you away from God, tear it out and throw it away. It is better to enter eternal life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

10Be careful not to look down on any of these little ones. I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

11Jesus continued, “What do you think? Suppose a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away. Won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go looking for the one that wandered?

12If he finds it, I tell you the truth: he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander away.

13In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost.

14If another member of your community wrongs you, go and point out what they did while the two of you are alone. If that person listens to you, you have won them back.

15But if that person does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that every matter can be confirmed by the words of two or three witnesses.

16If the person refuses to listen to them, tell the community. If the person also refuses to listen to the community, regard them as someone outside it, like a non-Jew or a tax collector.

17I tell you the truth: whatever you bind on earth—that is, whatever you forbid—will have been bound in heaven. Whatever you release on earth—that is, whatever you permit—will have been released in heaven.

18Again, I tell you the truth: if two of you on earth agree about anything and ask for it, my Father in heaven will do it for them.

19For wherever two or three come together because of me, I am there among them.”

20Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive another member of our community who wrongs me? As many as seven times?”

21Jesus answered, “Not merely seven times, but seventy-seven times.

22The kingdom of heaven can therefore be compared to a king who decided to settle accounts with his slaves.

23As he began, one slave was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents—an almost unimaginable amount of money.

24The slave could not repay the debt, so his master ordered that the slave, his wife, his children, and everything he owned be sold to make payment.

25The slave fell down and bowed before him, begging, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’

26The master felt compassion for the slave, released him, and canceled the debt.

27But that slave went out and found a fellow slave who owed him one hundred denarii—about one hundred days’ pay for a worker. He grabbed the man and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe!’

28The fellow slave fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’

29But he refused. Instead, he had the man put in prison until he paid the debt.

30When the other slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply distressed. They went and told their master everything that had happened.

31Then the master summoned the first slave and said, ‘You evil slave! I canceled your entire debt because you begged me.

32Shouldn’t you have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed mercy to you?’

33The master became furious and handed him over to the torturers until he paid everything he owed.

34Jesus concluded, “My Father in heaven will treat each of you in the same way unless you sincerely forgive every member of your community who has wronged you.”