Causing to Stumble

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.^{(A) 7} Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!^{(B) 8} If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble,^(C) cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble,^(D) gouge 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.^(E)

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep^(F)

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels^(G) in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ^[11] [a]

¹² “What do you think? If a man owns 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? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us^(A)

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”^(B)

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us.^{(C) 41} Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.^(D)

Causing to Stumble

⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble,^(E) it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.^{(F) 43} If your hand causes you to stumble,^(G) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,^(H) where the fire never goes out.^{(I) [44] [a] 45} And if your foot causes you to stumble,^(J) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.^{(K) [46] [b] 47} And if your eye causes you to stumble,^(L) pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,^{(M) 48} where

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted^(O) with fire.

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?^(P) Have salt among yourselves,^(Q) and be at peace with each other.”^(R)

⁴⁹ “Master,”^(A) said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”^(B)