Matthew 18
18About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"G1722G1565G5610G4334G3101G2424G3004G5101G686G2076G3187G1722G932G3772 2Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.G2532G2424G4341G3813G4341G2476G846G1722G3319G846 3Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.G2532G2036G281G3004G5213G3362G4762G2532G1096G5613G3813G1525G3364G1525G1519G932G3772 4So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.G3748G3767G5013G1438G5613G5124G3813G3778G2076G3187G1722G932G3772 5"And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.G2532G3739G1437G1209G1520G5108G3813G1909G3450G3686G1209G1691 6But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.G1161G3739G302G4624G1520G5130G3398G3588G4100G1519G1691G4851G846G2443G3458G3684G2910G1909G846G5137G2532G2670G1722G3989G2281 7"What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.G3759G2889G575G4625G1063G318G2076G4625G2064G4133G3759G444G1565G1223G3739G4625G2064 8So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet.G1161G1487G4675G5495G2228G4675G4228G4624G1581G846G1581G2532G906G575G4571G4675G2076G2570G4671G1525G1519G2222G5560G2228G2948G2228G2192G1417G5495G2228G1417G4228G906G1519G166G4442 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.G2532G1487G4675G3788G4624G4571G1807G846G1807G2532G906G575G4675G2076G2570G4671G1525G1519G2222G3442G2228G2192G1417G3788G906G1519G1067G4442 10"Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.G3708G2706G3361G1520G5130G3398G1063G3004G5213G3754G1722G3772G846G32G1223G3956G991G4383G3450G3962G3588G1722G3772 11G1063G5207G444G2064G4982G3588G622 12"If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?G5101G1380G5213G1437G5100G444G1096G1540G4263G2532G1520G1537G846G4105G863G3780G863G1768G4198G1909G3735G2212G3588G4105 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away!G2532G1437G1096G2147G846G281G3004G5213G3754G5463G3123G1909G846G2228G1909G1768G3588G4105G3361G4105 14In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish.G3779G2076G3756G2307G1715G5216G3962G3588G1722G3772G2443G1520G5130G3398G622 15"If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.G1161G1437G4675G80G264G1519G4571G5217G2532G1651G846G1651G3342G4675G2532G846G3441G1437G191G4675G2770G4675G80 16But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.G1161G3362G191G3362G191G3880G3326G4675G1520G2228G1417G2089G2443G1909G4750G1417G2228G5140G3144G3956G4487G2476 17If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won't accept the church's decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.G1161G1437G3878G846G2036G1577G1161G2532G1437G3878G1577G2077G4671G5618G1482G2532G5057 18"I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.G281G3004G5213G3745G1437G1210G1909G1093G2071G1210G1722G3772G2532G3745G1437G3089G1909G1093G2071G3089G1722G3772 19"I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.G3825G3004G5213G3754G1437G1417G5216G4856G1909G1093G4012G3956G4229G3739G1437G154G1096G846G3844G3450G3962G3588G1722G3772 20For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."G1063G3757G1417G2228G5140G1526G4863G1519G1699G3686G1563G1510G1722G3319G846 21Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?"G5119G4334G4074G846G2036G2962G4212G3450G80G264G1519G1691G2532G863G846G2193G2034 22"No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!G2424G3004G846G3004G3756G4671G2193G2034G235G2193G1441G2033 23"Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.G1223G5124G932G3772G3666G444G935G3739G2309G4868G3056G3326G846G1401 24In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.G1161G846G756G4868G1520G4374G846G3781G846G3463G5007 25He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.G1161G846G2192G3361G591G846G2962G2753G846G4097G2532G846G1135G2532G5043G2532G3956G3745G2192G2532G591 26"But the man fell down before his master and begged him, 'Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.'G1401G3767G4098G4352G846G3004G2962G3114G1909G1698G2532G591G4671G3956 27Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.G1161G2962G1565G1401G4697G630G846G2532G863G846G1156 28"But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.G1161G1565G1401G1831G2147G1520G846G4889G3739G3784G846G1540G1220G2532G2902G846G4155G3004G591G3427G3748G3784 29"His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. 'Be patient with me, and I will pay it,' he pleaded.G3767G846G4889G4098G1519G846G4228G3870G846G3004G3114G1909G1698G2532G591G4671G3956 30But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.G1161G2309G3756G235G565G906G846G1519G5438G2193G3739G591G3784 31"When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.G1161G846G4889G1492G1096G4970G3076G2532G2064G1285G846G2962G3956G1096 32Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.G5119G846G2962G4341G846G3004G846G4190G1401G863G4671G3956G1565G3782G1893G3870G3165 33Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'G1163G3756G4571G2532G1653G4675G4889G2532G5613G1473G1653G4571 34Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.G2532G846G2962G3710G3860G846G930G2193G3739G591G3956G3784G846 35"That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart."G3779G3450G2032G3962G4160G2532G5213G3362G575G5216G2588G863G3362G1538G846G80G846G3900
New Living Translation (NLT). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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