Discipline and Prayer

15 “Now (A)if your brother sins[a], go and [b]show him his fault [c]in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that (B)on the [d]testimony of two or three witnesses every [e]matter may be confirmed. 17 And if he refuses to listen to them, (C)tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, (D)he is to be to you as [f]a Gentile and [g]a tax collector. 18 Truly I say to you, (E)whatever you [h]bind on earth [i]shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you [j]loose on earth [k]shall have been loosed in heaven.

19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, (F)it shall be done for them [l]by My Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, (G)I am there in their midst.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 18:15 Late mss add against you
  2. Matthew 18:15 Or correct
  3. Matthew 18:15 Lit between you and him alone
  4. Matthew 18:16 Lit mouth
  5. Matthew 18:16 Lit word
  6. Matthew 18:17 Lit the
  7. Matthew 18:17 Lit the
  8. Matthew 18:18 I.e., forbid
  9. Matthew 18:18 Gr fut. pft. pass. tense
  10. Matthew 18:18 I.e., permit
  11. Matthew 18:18 Gr fut. pft. pass. tense
  12. Matthew 18:19 Lit from

15-17 “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

18-20 “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

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