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Matthew 18-22
New American Standard Bible 1995
Matthew 18-22
New American Standard Bible 1995
Rank in the Kingdom
18 (A)At that [a]time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “(B)Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him [b]before them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you [c]are converted and (C)become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but (D)whoever (E)causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it [d]would be better for him to have a [e]heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Stumbling Blocks
7 “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For (F)it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
8 “(G)If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than [f]to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9 (H)If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than [g]to have two eyes and be cast into the [h](I)fiery hell.
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that (J)their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 [[i](K)For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]
Ninety-nine Plus One
12 “What do you think? (L)If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? 13 If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 So it is not the will [j]of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Discipline and Prayer
15 “(M)If your brother sins[k], go and [l]show him his fault [m]in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that (N)by the mouth of two or three witnesses every [n]fact may be confirmed. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, (O)tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, (P)let him be to you as [o]a Gentile and [p]a tax collector. 18 Truly I say to you, (Q)whatever you [q]bind on earth [r]shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you [s]loose on earth [t]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, (R)it shall be done for them [u]by My Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, (S)I am there in their midst.”
Forgiveness
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, (T)how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to (U)seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to (V)seventy times seven.
23 “For this reason (W)the kingdom of heaven [v]may be compared to a king who wished to (X)settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him [w]ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 But since he [x](Y)did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him (Z)to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 So the slave fell to the ground and (AA)prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and (AB)forgave him the [y]debt. 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred [z]denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he was unwilling [aa]and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 (AC)Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 (AD)My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from [ab]your heart.”
Concerning Divorce
19 (AE)When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and (AF)came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and [ac]large crowds followed Him, and (AG)He healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to [ad]Jesus, testing Him and asking, “(AH)Is it lawful for a man to [ae]divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read (AI)that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘(AJ)For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and (AK)the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” 7 They *said to Him, “(AL)Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to [af]divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 And I say to you, (AM)whoever [ag]divorces his wife, except for [ah]immorality, and marries another woman [ai]commits adultery[aj].”
10 The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” 11 But He said to them, “(AN)Not all men can accept this statement, but (AO)only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 (AP)Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “[ak](AQ)Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for (AR)the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.
The Rich Young Ruler
16 (AS)And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain (AT)eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but (AU)if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “(AV)You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 (AW)Honor your father and mother; and (AX)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man *said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be [al]complete, go and (AY)sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have (AZ)treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, (BA)it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, (BB)it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “(BC)With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The Disciples’ Reward
27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when (BD)the Son of Man will sit on [am]His glorious throne, (BE)you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And (BF)everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother [an]or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive [ao]many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. 30 (BG)But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
Laborers in the Vineyard
20 “For (BH)the kingdom of heaven is like [ap]a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his (BI)vineyard. 2 When he had agreed with the laborers for a [aq]denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the [ar]third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the [as]sixth and the ninth hour, and did [at]the same thing. 6 And about the [au]eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “When (BJ)evening came, the [av]owner of the vineyard *said to his (BK)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a [aw]denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; [ax]but each of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the (BL)scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘(BM)Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your (BN)eye [ay]envious because I am [az]generous?’ 16 So (BO)the last shall be first, and the first last.”
Death, Resurrection Foretold
17 (BP)As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man (BQ)will be [ba]delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and (BR)will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on (BS)the third day He will be raised up.”
Preferment Asked
20 (BT)Then the mother of (BU)the sons of Zebedee came to [bb]Jesus with her sons, (BV)bowing down and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine (BW)may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able (BX)to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He *said to them, “(BY)My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, (BZ)but it is for those for whom it has been (CA)prepared by My Father.”
24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 (CB)But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It is not this way among you, (CC)but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as (CD)the Son of Man (CE)did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His [bc]life a ransom for many.”
Sight for the Blind
29 (CF)As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30 And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, (CG)have mercy on us, (CH)Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, (CI)Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
The Triumphal Entry
21 (CJ)When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at (CK)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 (CL)This [bd]took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “(CM)Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold your King is coming to you,
Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on [be]the coats. 8 Most of the crowd (CN)spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
“Hosanna to the (CO)Son of David;
(CP)Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna (CQ)in the highest!”
10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is (CR)the prophet Jesus, from (CS)Nazareth in Galilee.”
Cleansing the Temple
12 (CT)And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the (CU)money changers and the seats of those who were selling (CV)doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘(CW)My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a (CX)robbers’ [bf]den.”
14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and (CY)He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the (CZ)Son of David,” they became indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘(DA)Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” 17 And He left them and went out of the city to (DB)Bethany, and spent the night there.
The Barren Fig Tree
18 (DC)Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19 Seeing a lone (DD)fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.
20 Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, (DE)if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And (DF)all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Authority Challenged
23 (DG)When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him (DH)while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one [bg]thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the [bh]people; for they all regard John as (DI)a prophet.” 27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Parable of Two Sons
28 “But what do you think? A man had two [bi]sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘[bj]Son, go work today in the (DJ)vineyard.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that (DK)the tax collectors and prostitutes [bk]will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but (DL)the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.
Parable of the Landowner
33 “Listen to another parable. (DM)There was a [bl]landowner who (DN)planted a (DO)vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to [bm]vine-growers and (DP)went on a journey. 34 When the [bn]harvest time approached, he (DQ)sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Again he (DR)sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Therefore when the [bo]owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They *said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and (DS)will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”
42 Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,
‘(DT)The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a [bp]people, producing the fruit of it. 44 And (DU)he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46 When they sought to seize Him, they (DV)feared the [bq]people, because they considered Him to be a (DW)prophet.
Parable of the Marriage Feast
22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “(DX)The kingdom of heaven [br]may be compared to [bs]a king who [bt]gave a (DY)wedding feast for his son. 3 And he (DZ)sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. 4 Again he (EA)sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own [bu]farm, another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. 7 But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. 8 Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to (EB)the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with [bv]dinner guests.
11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw (EC)a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he *said to him, ‘(ED)Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into (EE)the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are [bw](EF)called, but few are (EG)chosen.”
Tribute to Caesar
15 (EH)Then the Pharisees went and [bx]plotted together how they might trap Him [by]in what He said. 16 And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the (EI)Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and [bz]defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17 Tell us then, what do You think? Is it [ca]lawful to give a (EJ)poll-tax to (EK)Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus perceived their [cb]malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the (EL)coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a [cc]denarius. 20 And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They *said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He *said to them, “(EM)Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 And hearing this, they were amazed, and (EN)leaving Him, they went away.
Jesus Answers the Sadducees
23 (EO)On that day some (EP)Sadducees (who say (EQ)there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, 24 asking, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘(ER)If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; 26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”
29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, (ES)not [cd]understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither (ET)marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘(EU)I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, (EV)they were astonished at His teaching.
34 (EW)But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced (EX)the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, [ce](EY)a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘(EZ)You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [cf]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘(FA)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 (FB)On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
41 (FC)Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about [cg]the Christ, whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “(FD)The son of David.” 43 He *said to them, “Then how does David [ch](FE)in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘(FF)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet”’?
45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” 46 (FG)No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him [ci]another question.
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:1 Lit hour
- Matthew 18:2 Lit in their midst
- Matthew 18:3 Lit are turned
- Matthew 18:6 Lit is better
- Matthew 18:6 Lit millstone turned by a donkey
- Matthew 18:8 Lit having; Gr part.
- Matthew 18:9 Lit having; Gr part.
- Matthew 18:9 Lit Gehenna of fire
- Matthew 18:11 Early mss do not contain this v
- Matthew 18:14 Lit before
- Matthew 18:15 Late mss add against you
- Matthew 18:15 Or reprove
- Matthew 18:15 Lit between you and him alone
- Matthew 18:16 Lit word
- Matthew 18:17 Lit the
- Matthew 18:17 Lit the
- Matthew 18:18 Or forbid
- Matthew 18:18 Gr fut. pft. pass.
- Matthew 18:18 Or permit
- Matthew 18:18 Gr fut. pft. pass.
- Matthew 18:19 Lit from
- Matthew 18:23 Lit was compared to
- Matthew 18:24 A talent was worth more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer
- Matthew 18:25 Or was unable to
- Matthew 18:27 Or loan
- Matthew 18:28 The denarius was a day’s wages
- Matthew 18:30 Lit but
- Matthew 18:35 Lit your hearts
- Matthew 19:2 Lit many
- Matthew 19:3 Lit Him
- Matthew 19:3 Or send away
- Matthew 19:8 Or send away
- Matthew 19:9 Or sends away
- Matthew 19:9 Lit fornication
- Matthew 19:9 Some early mss read makes her commit adultery
- Matthew 19:9 Some early mss add and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery
- Matthew 19:14 Or Permit the children
- Matthew 19:21 Or perfect
- Matthew 19:28 Lit the throne of His glory
- Matthew 19:29 One early ms adds or wife
- Matthew 19:29 One early ms reads a hundred times
- Matthew 20:1 Lit a man, a landowner
- Matthew 20:2 The denarius was a day’s wages
- Matthew 20:3 I.e. 9 a.m.
- Matthew 20:5 I.e. noon and 3 p.m.
- Matthew 20:5 Lit similarly
- Matthew 20:6 I.e. 5 p.m.
- Matthew 20:8 Or lord
- Matthew 20:9 The denarius was a day’s wages
- Matthew 20:10 Lit each one a denarius
- Matthew 20:15 Lit evil
- Matthew 20:15 Lit good
- Matthew 20:18 Or betrayed
- Matthew 20:20 Lit Him
- Matthew 20:28 Or soul
- Matthew 21:4 Lit has happened
- Matthew 21:7 Lit them
- Matthew 21:13 Lit cave
- Matthew 21:24 Lit word
- Matthew 21:26 Lit crowd
- Matthew 21:28 Lit children
- Matthew 21:28 Lit Child
- Matthew 21:31 Lit are getting into
- Matthew 21:33 Lit a man, head of a household
- Matthew 21:33 Or tenant farmers, also vv 34, 35, 38, 40
- Matthew 21:34 Lit the fruit season
- Matthew 21:40 Lit lord
- Matthew 21:43 Lit nation
- Matthew 21:46 Lit crowds
- Matthew 22:2 Lit was compared to
- Matthew 22:2 Lit a man, a king
- Matthew 22:2 Lit made
- Matthew 22:5 Or field
- Matthew 22:10 Lit those reclining at the table
- Matthew 22:14 Or invited
- Matthew 22:15 Lit took counsel
- Matthew 22:15 Lit in word
- Matthew 22:16 Lit it is not a concern to You about anyone; i.e. You do not seek anyone’s favor
- Matthew 22:17 Or permissible
- Matthew 22:18 Or wickedness
- Matthew 22:19 The denarius was a day’s wages
- Matthew 22:29 Or knowing
- Matthew 22:35 I.e. an expert in the Mosaic Law
- Matthew 22:38 Or first
- Matthew 22:42 I.e. the Messiah
- Matthew 22:43 Or by inspiration
- Matthew 22:46 Lit any longer
Matthew 18-22
New International Version
Matthew 18-22
New International Version
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?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 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) 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.(D) 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.(E)
Causing to Stumble
6 “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) 7 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) 8 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. 9 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. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them(AE) there.
3 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?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[j](AG) 5 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) 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”(AI)
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 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) 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[o] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 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?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “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.’
9 “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.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(CJ)(CK)
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,(CL) Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill(CM) what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[p](CN)
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks(CO) on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet(CS) from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple(CT)
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying(CU) and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers(CV) and the benches of those selling doves.(CW) 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[t](CX) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[u]”(CY)
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.(CZ) 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,”(DA) they were indignant.(DB)
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,(DD) where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(DE)
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.(DF)
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,(DG) not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for(DH) in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned(DI)
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority(DJ) are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”(DK)
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’(DL)
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors(DM) and the prostitutes(DN) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,(DO) and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors(DP) and the prostitutes(DQ) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent(DR) and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants(DS)
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted(DT) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.(DU) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.(DV) 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants(DW) to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.(DX) 36 Then he sent other servants(DY) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.(DZ) Come, let’s kill him(EA) and take his inheritance.’(EB) 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”(EC) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,(ED) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[w]?(EE)
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you(EF) and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”[x](EG)
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.(EH)
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet(EI)
22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like(EJ) a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants(EK) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4 “Then he sent some more servants(EL) and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers(EM) and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners(EN) and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good,(EO) and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend(EP)?’ The man was speechless.
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’(EQ)
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”(ER)
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(ES)
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.(ET) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[y](EU) to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,(EV) and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.(EW)
Marriage at the Resurrection(EX)
23 That same day the Sadducees,(EY) who say there is no resurrection,(EZ) came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.(FA) 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures(FB) or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage;(FC) they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[z]?(FD) He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.(FE)
The Greatest Commandment(FF)
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,(FG) the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law,(FH) tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[aa](FI) 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[ab](FJ) 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”(FK)
Whose Son Is the Messiah?(FL)
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,”(FM) they replied.
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’[ac](FN)
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.(FO)
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:11 Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10.
- 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.
- Matthew 18:15 Some manuscripts sins against you
- Matthew 18:16 Deut. 19:15
- Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
- Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
- Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven
- Matthew 18:24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.
- Matthew 18:28 Greek a hundred denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2).
- Matthew 19:4 Gen. 1:27
- Matthew 19:5 Gen. 2:24
- Matthew 19:19 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20
- Matthew 19:19 Lev. 19:18
- Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts do not have or wife.
- Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.
- Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:13 Isaiah 56:7
- Matthew 21:13 Jer. 7:11
- Matthew 21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
- Matthew 21:42 Psalm 118:22,23
- Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.
- Matthew 22:17 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens
- Matthew 22:32 Exodus 3:6
- Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
- Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18
- Matthew 22:44 Psalm 110:1
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