Matthew 18:15-35

New American Standard Bible 1995

Discipline and Prayer

¹⁵ “^(A)If your brother sins^[a], go and ^[b]show him his fault ^[c]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 ^(B)by the mouth of two or three witnesses every ^[d]fact may be confirmed. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, ^(C)tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^(D)let him be to you as ^[e]a Gentile and ^[f]a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I say to you, ^(E)whatever you ^[g]bind on earth ^[h]shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you ^[i]loose on earth ^[j]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, ^(F)it shall be done for them ^[k]by My Father who is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three have gathered together in My name, ^(G)I am there in their midst.”

Forgiveness

²¹ Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, ^(H)how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to ^(I)seven times?” ²² Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to ^(J)seventy times seven.

²³ “For this reason ^(K)the kingdom of heaven ^[l]may be compared to a king who wished to ^(L)settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ^[m]ten thousand talents was brought to him. ²⁵ But since he ^[n](M)did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him ^(N)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 ^(O)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 ^(P)forgave him the ^[o]debt. ²⁸ But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred ^[p]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 ^[q]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 (Q)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 (R)My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from ^[r]your heart.”