Discipline and Prayer

¹⁵ “If your brother sins^[a], go and show him his fault in private; if he listens and pays attention to you, you have won back your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the ^[b]church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile (unbeliever) and a tax collector.^{(A) 18} I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth ^[c]shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth ^[d]shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.^(B)

¹⁹ “Again I say to you, that if two ^[e]believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.^{(C) 20} For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”^(D)

Forgiveness

²¹ Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?” ²² Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ When he began the accounting, one who owed him 10,000 ^[f]talents was brought to him. ²⁵ But because he could not repay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the slave fell on his knees and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ ²⁷ And his master’s heart was moved with compassion and he released him and forgave him [canceling] the debt. ²⁸ But that same slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him ^[g]a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe!’ ²⁹ So his fellow slave fell on his knees and begged him earnestly, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ ³⁰ But he was unwilling and he went and had him thrown in prison until he paid back the debt. ³¹ When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and they went and reported to their master [with clarity and in detail] everything that had taken place. ³² Then his master called him and said to him, ‘You wicked and contemptible slave, I forgave all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me. ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave [who owed you little by comparison], as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (jailers) until he paid all that he owed. ³⁵ My heavenly Father will also do the same to [every one of] you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”