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?^(A) Up to seven times?”^(B)

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.^[a](C)

⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.^(A)

²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”^(A)

⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(A) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^(B)

¹⁰ “What should we do then?”^(C) the crowd asked.

¹¹ John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”^(D)

¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized.^(E) “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

¹³ “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,”^(F) he told them.

¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely^(G)—be content with your pay.”

² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig^(A) tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.^(B)

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”^(C)

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,^(D) “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,^(E) I will pay back four times the amount.”^(F)

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.^{(G) 10} For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”^(H)

Ananias and Sapphira

5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself,^(A) but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.^(B)

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan^(C) has so filled your heart^(D) that you have lied to the Holy Spirit^(E) and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?^{(F) 4} Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?^(G) What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”^(H)

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.^(I) And great fear^(J) seized all who heard what had happened.

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.