Matthew 17:24-18:14

English Standard Version

The Temple Tax

^24 (A)When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of ^(B)the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ^(C)“What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or ^(D)tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶ And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.^[a] Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

18 ^(E)At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you ^(F)turn and ^(G)become like children, you ^(H)will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ^4 (I)Whoever humbles himself like this child is the ^(J)greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

^5 (K)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but ^(L)whoever causes one of these ^(M)little ones who believe in me to sin,^[b] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

⁷ “Woe to the world for ^(N)temptations to sin!^{[c] (O)}For it is necessary that temptations come, ^(P)but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ^8 (Q)And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into ^(R)the eternal fire. ^9 (S)And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the ^(T)hell^[d] of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise ^(U)one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^(V)their angels always ^(W)see the face of my Father who is in heaven.^{[e] 12 (X)}What do you think? ^(Y)If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So ^(Z)it is not the will of my^[f] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.