Matthew 18

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

2He called a little child to him and had the child stand among them,

3and he said, “Truly I tell you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4So whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a heavy millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!

8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

9And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

10See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

11[For the Son of Man came to save what was lost.]

12What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.

14In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

15If your brother or sister sins against you, go and show them their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won back your brother or sister.

16But if they will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

17If they refuse to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

18Truly I tell 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 tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

21Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?”

22Jesus said to him, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23That is why the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

24As he began the settlement, a man was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

25Since he was not able to pay, his master ordered that he be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the debt be repaid.

26So the servant fell down and bowed before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back everything.’

27The master of that servant had compassion on him, released him, and forgave him the loan.

28But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe!’

29So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

30But he refused. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay back what he owed.

31When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply distressed, and they went and told their master everything that had taken place.

32Then his master called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

33Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’

34In anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he could pay back everything he owed.

35This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless each of you forgives your brother or sister from your heart.”