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18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them,

and said, “Verily I say unto you, unless ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

And whoso shall receive one such little child in My name, receiveth Me.

But whoso shall cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to fall, it were better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

“Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it must happen that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.

Therefore if thy hand or thy foot cause thee to fall, cut them off and cast them from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire.

And if thine eye cause thee to fall, pluck it out and cast it from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

10 “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you that in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in Heaven.

11 “For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost.

12 How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains and seeketh that which is gone astray?

13 And if it so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more over that sheep than over the ninety and nine which went not astray.

14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

15 “Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that ‘in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.

18 Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and so whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.

19 “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth concerning anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in Heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”

22 And Jesus said unto him, “I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.

23 “Therefore is the Kingdom of Heaven likened unto a certain king who would settle accounts with his servants.

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents.

25 But inasmuch as he could not pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26 The servant therefore fell down and did homage to him, saying,‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him and forgave him the debt.

28 But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred pence. And he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what thou owest.’

29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’

30 And he would not, but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt.

31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32 Then his lord, after he had called him, said unto him, ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me.

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?’

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35 So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother’s trespasses.”

19 And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.

The Pharisees also came unto Him, testing Him and saying unto Him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”

And He answered and said unto them, “Have ye not read, that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female,

and said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh’?

Therefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

They said unto Him, “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?”

He said unto them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her who is put away doth commit adultery.”

10 His disciples said unto Him, “If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.”

11 But He said unto them, “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

12 For there are some eunuchs who were so born from their mother’s womb, and there are some eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”

13 Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them,

14 but Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto Me,for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

15 And He laid His hands on them and departed thence.

16 And behold, one came and said unto Him, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

17 And He said unto him, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God. But if thou wilt enter into Life, keep the commandments.”

18 He said unto Him, “Which?” Jesus said, “‘Thou shalt do no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness;

19 honor thy father and thy mother; and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’”

20 The young man said unto Him, “All these things have I kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?”

21 Jesus said unto him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come and follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, “Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

24 And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

25 When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

26 But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27 Then Peter answered and said unto Him, “Behold, we have forsaken all and followed Thee. What shall we have therefore?”

28 And Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that ye that have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And everyone that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life.

30 But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

20 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.

And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

and said unto them, ‘Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.’ And they went their way.

Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise.

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said unto them, ‘Why stand ye here all the day idle?’

They said unto him, ‘Because no man hath hired us.’ He said unto them, ‘Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.’

So when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.’

And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10 But when the first came, they supposed they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the master of the house,

12 saying, ‘These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’

13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst thou not agree with me for a penny?

14 Take that which is thine and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?’

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

17 And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart on the way and said unto them,

18 “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death,

19 and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify Him. And the third day, He shall rise again.”

20 Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshiping Him and desiring a certain thing of Him.

21 And He said unto her, “What wilt thou?” She said unto Him, “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand and the other on the left in Thy Kingdom.”

22 But Jesus answered and said, “Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said unto Him, “We are able.”

23 And He said unto them, “Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

25 But Jesus called them unto Him and said, “Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26 But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27 and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant,

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

30 And behold, two blind men were sitting by the wayside when they heard that Jesus was passing by, and they cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David!”

31 And the multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace; but they cried out the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David!”

32 And Jesus stood still, and called them and said, “What will ye that I shall do unto you?”

33 They said unto Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”

34 So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven(A)

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

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,(B) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.(C) Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.(D) And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.(E)

Causing to Stumble

“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.(F) 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!(G) If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble,(H) 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. And if your eye causes you to stumble,(I) 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.(J)

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep(K)

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels(L) 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.

Dealing With Sin in the Church

15 “If your brother or sister[b] sins,[c] go and point out their fault,(M) just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[d](N) 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church;(O) and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.(P)

18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven.(Q)

19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them(R) by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”(S)

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?(T) Up to seven times?”(U)

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g](V)

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like(W) a king who wanted to settle accounts(X) with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[h] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay,(Y) the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold(Z) to repay the debt.

26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him.(AA) ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[i] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”(AB)

Divorce(AC)

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,(AD) he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them(AE) there.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife(AF) for any and every reason?”

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[j](AG) and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[k]?(AH) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”(AI)

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”(AJ)

10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.(AK) 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

The Little Children and Jesus(AL)

13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them(AM) and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs(AN) to such as these.”(AO) 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God(AP)

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life(AQ)?”(AR)

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”(AS)

18 “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,(AT) you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[l](AU) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[m](AV)

20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,(AW) go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,(AX) and you will have treasure in heaven.(AY) Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich(AZ) to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(BA)

27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you!(BB) What then will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,(BC) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.(BD) 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[n] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.(BE) 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.(BF)

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like(BG) a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.(BH) He agreed to pay them a denarius[o] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

“When evening came,(BI) the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble(BJ) against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat(BK) of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.(BL) Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’(BM)

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”(BN)

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time(BO)

17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem,(BP) and the Son of Man(BQ) will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.(BR) They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged(BS) and crucified.(BT) On the third day(BU) he will be raised to life!”(BV)

A Mother’s Request(BW)

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons(BX) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,(BY) asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”(BZ)

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup(CA) I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup,(CB) but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant(CC) with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(CD) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man(CE) did not come to be served, but to serve,(CF) and to give his life as a ransom(CG) for many.”

Two Blind Men Receive Sight(CH)

29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David,(CI) have mercy on us!”

31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 18:11 Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10.
  2. Matthew 18:15 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verses 21 and 35.
  3. Matthew 18:15 Some manuscripts sins against you
  4. Matthew 18:16 Deut. 19:15
  5. Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
  6. Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
  7. Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven
  8. Matthew 18:24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.
  9. Matthew 18:28 Greek a hundred denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2).
  10. Matthew 19:4 Gen. 1:27
  11. Matthew 19:5 Gen. 2:24
  12. Matthew 19:19 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20
  13. Matthew 19:19 Lev. 19:18
  14. Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts do not have or wife.
  15. Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.