Matthew 18
Expanded Bible
Who Is the Greatest?(A)
18 At that time the ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his ·followers [disciples]. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you must ·change [or turn from your sins; convert; L turn] and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven [L therefore] is the one who makes himself humble [and becomes] like this [little] child.
5 “[L And] Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] a child ·in my name [C as a representative or follower of Jesus] ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me [C indicates concern for the lowly; children had low social status]. 6 If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; L millstone of a donkey] tied around the neck and be ·drowned [L thrown] in the [L depths of the] sea. 7 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] ·the people of the world [L the world] because of ·the things that cause them to sin [temptations to sin; L stumbling blocks]. ·Such things will happen [L It is necessary for stumbling blocks to come], but ·how terrible for [L woe to] the one ·who causes them to happen [L through whom the stumbling block comes]! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [L to enter life maimed or crippled] than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire]. 9 If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], ·take [tear; gouge] it out and throw it away. It is better for you to ·have only one eye and live forever [L enter life one-eyed] than to have two eyes and be thrown into the ·fire of hell [L Gehenna of fire; 5:22].
A Lost Sheep(B)
10 “Be careful [Watch out; or See that you…]. Don’t ·think these little children are worth nothing [L despise/look down on one of these little ones]. [L For] I tell you that they have angels in heaven who are always ·with [in the presence of; L see the face of] my Father in heaven. |11 The Son of Man came to save ·lost people [that which was lost].|[a]
12 “[L What do you think?] If a man has a hundred sheep but one of the sheep ·gets lost [goes astray; wanders off], ·he will [L won’t he…?] leave the other ninety-nine on the ·hill [L hills; mountains] and go to look for the lost sheep. 13 I tell you the truth, if he finds it he ·is happier about [rejoices more over] that one sheep than ·about [over] the ninety-nine that ·were never lost [never went astray/wandered off]. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven ·does not want [is not willing that] any of these little children to ·be lost [perish].
When a Person Sins Against You(C)
15 “If your ·fellow believer [L brother (or sister)] sins against you,[b] go and ·tell him what he did wrong [L reprove/convict/correct him] ·in private [L between you and him alone]. If he listens to you, you have ·helped that person to be your brother or sister again [L gained/won back your brother (or sister)]. 16 But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. ‘Every ·case [matter; charge] may be proved by [the testimony of; L the mouth of] two or three witnesses’ [Deut. 19:15]. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a ·person who does not believe in God [pagan; Gentile] or like a tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, ·the things [whatever] you ·don’t allow [forbid; L bind] on earth will be ·the things God does not allow [forbidden/bound in heaven]. And ·the things [whatever] you ·allow [permit; L loose] on earth will be ·the things that God allows [permitted/L loosed in heaven].”
19 “·Also [Again], I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something ·and pray for it [L for which you have asked], it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 ·This is true because if [L For where] two or three people ·come [are assembled/gathered] together in my name, I am there ·with them [among them; in their midst].”
An Unforgiving Servant(D)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my ·fellow believer [L brother (or sister)] sins against me, how many times ·must [should] I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him not just seven times, but ·seventy times seven times [or seventy-seven times; C the Greek can mean either 490 or 77; the point is unlimited forgiveness]!
23 “[L Therefore; For this reason] The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to ·collect the money his servants owed him [L settle accounts with his servants/slaves]. 24 When the king began ·to collect his money [the settlement/reckoning], a ·servant [slave] who owed him ·several million dollars [or billions of dollars; L ten thousand talents; C a talent was worth about six thousand days’ wages; this is an impossibly high debt] was brought to him. 25 But ·the servant [L he] did not have enough money to pay his master. So the master ordered that ·the servant [L he] be sold, together with his wife and children and everything he owned, and the debt paid.
26 “But the ·servant [slave] fell ·on his knees [face down; in obeisance] and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’ 27 The master felt ·sorry [compassion] for ·his servant [that slave], so he let him go free and ·forgave [canceled] the debt.
28 “·Later [L After departing], that same ·servant [slave] found ·another servant [a fellow servant/slave] who owed him a ·few dollars [hundred denarii]. ·The servant [L He] grabbed him ·around the neck [L and began choking him] and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’
29 “The ·other servant [fellow servant/slave] fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’
30 “But ·the first servant [L he] refused. He threw ·the other servant [him] into prison until he could pay everything he owed. 31 When ·the other servants [his fellow servants/slaves] saw what had happened, they were very ·sorry [upset; distressed]. So they went and ·told [reported to] their master all that had happened.
32 “Then the master called ·his servant [L him] in and said, ‘You ·evil [wicked] ·servant [slave]! Because you ·begged [pleaded with] me, I forgave [canceled] all that debt. 33 ·You should have [L Shouldn’t you have…?] showed mercy to ·that other servant [your fellow servant/slave], just as I showed mercy to you.’ 34 The master was very angry and ·put the servant in prison to be punished [L delivered him to the tormenters/torturers] until he could pay everything he owed.
35 “·This king did what [L So also] my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:11 The … people. Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text.
- Matthew 18:15 against you Some Greek copies do not have “against you.”
Mateo 18
Nueva Biblia Viva
El más importante en el reino de los cielos
18 En aquella ocasión, los discípulos le preguntaron a Jesús cuál de ellos ocuparía el cargo más importante en el reino de los cielos.
2 Jesús llamó a un niño de los que andaban por allí y lo sentó en medio de ellos. Entonces les dijo:
3 «Si no se vuelven a Dios, arrepentidos de sus pecados y con sencillez de niños, no podrán entrar en el reino de los cielos. 4 En otras palabras, el que esté libre de altivez como este niño tendrá un puesto importante en el reino de los cielos. 5 El que reciba en mi nombre a una persona así, a mí me recibe. 6 Pero al que haga que uno de mis creyentes humildes pierda la fe, mejor le sería que le ataran una roca al cuello y lo arrojaran al mar. 7 ¡Ay del mundo y sus maldades! La tentación es, ciertamente, inevitable, pero ¡ay de la persona que tienta! 8 Por lo tanto, si tu mano o tu pie te hace pecar, córtatelo y échalo de ti, porque es mejor entrar al reino de los cielos mutilado que ir a parar al infierno con las dos manos y los dos pies. 9 Y si tu ojo te hace pecar, sácatelo y échalo a la basura. Mejor te es entrar tuerto al reino de los cielos que ir al infierno con los dos ojos.
Parábola de la oveja perdida
10 »Nunca menosprecien al creyente humilde, porque su ángel tiene en el cielo constante acceso al Padre. 11 Además, yo, el Hijo del hombre, vine a salvar a los perdidos. 12 Si un hombre tiene cien ovejas y una se le extravía, ¿qué hará? ¿No deja las noventa y nueve sanas y salvas y se va a las montañas a buscar la perdida? 13 Ah, ¡y si la encuentra, se regocija más por aquélla que por las noventa y nueve que dejó en el corral! 14 Asimismo, mi Padre no quiere que ninguno de estos pequeños se pierda.
El hermano que peca contra ti
15 »Si un hermano te hace algo malo, llámalo y dile en privado cuál ha sido su falta. Si te escucha y la reconoce, habrás recuperado a un hermano. 16 Pero si no, consíguete una o dos personas que vayan contigo a hablarle y te sirvan de testigos. 17 Si se niega a escucharte, presenta el caso a la iglesia, y si esta se pronuncia a tu favor y tu hermano no acepta la recomendación de la iglesia, entonces la iglesia debe expulsarlo. 18 Les aseguro que cuanto aten en la tierra quedará atado en el cielo, y que lo que suelten en la tierra quedará suelto en el cielo. 19 También quiero decirles que si dos de ustedes se ponen de acuerdo aquí en la tierra acerca de algo que quieran pedir en oración, mi Padre que está en los cielos se lo concederá, 20 porque dondequiera que estén dos o tres reunidos en mi nombre, allí estaré yo».
Parábola del siervo despiadado
21 Pedro se le acercó y le preguntó:
―Señor, ¿cuántas veces debo perdonar a un hermano que haga algo malo contra mí? ¿Debo perdonarlo siete veces?
22 ―¡No! —respondió Jesús—, ¡perdónalo hasta setenta veces siete si es necesario!
23 »El reino de los cielos puede compararse a un rey que decidió arreglar cuentas con sus súbditos. 24 En el proceso, le trajeron a uno que le debía cien millones de pesos. 25 Como no podía pagarle, el rey ordenó que lo vendieran como esclavo, y también a su esposa, a sus hijos y sus posesiones. 26 Al oírlo, el hombre cayó de rodillas delante del rey y le suplicó: “Señor, por favor, ten paciencia conmigo y te lo pagaré todo”. 27 El rey, conmovido, lo soltó y le perdonó la deuda.
28 »Pero cuando aquel mismo hombre salió de allí, fue adonde estaba alguien que le debía veinte mil pesos y, agarrándolo por el cuello, exigió pago inmediato. 29 También este hombre cayó de rodillas delante de él y le suplicó: “Ten paciencia y te lo pagaré todo”. 30 Pero su acreedor no quiso conceder ninguna prórroga, y lo hizo arrestar y meter a la cárcel hasta que la deuda quedara completamente saldada. 31 Los amigos del encarcelado, entristecidos, acudieron al rey y le contaron lo sucedido. 32 El rey, sin pérdida de tiempo, mandó llamar al hombre al que había perdonado. “¡Malvado! ¡Perverso!”, le dijo. “¡Así que yo te perdoné aquella inmensa deuda porque me lo pediste, 33 y tú no pudiste tener misericordia del otro como yo la tuve de ti?”. 34 Tan enojado estaba el rey que lo envió a las cámaras de tortura hasta que pagara el último centavo.
35 »Así hará mi Padre celestial al que se niegue a perdonar a algún hermano».
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