Matthew 18:20
King James Version
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
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Matthew 18:20
Holman Christian Standard Bible
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.”
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Matthew 18:20
American Standard Version
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
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Matthew 18:20
Young's Literal Translation
20 for where there are two or three gathered together -- to my name, there am I in the midst of them.'
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Matthew 18:20
Revised Standard Version
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
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Matthew 18
King James Version
18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Matthew 18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who Is the Greatest?
18 At that time[a](A) the disciples(B) came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”(C)
2 Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. 3 “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted[b] and become like children,(D) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.(E) 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes[c] one child like this in My name welcomes Me.
6 “But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone[d] were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!(F) 7 Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.(G) 8 If your hand or your foot causes your downfall, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.(H) 9 And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones,(J) because I tell you that in heaven their angels(K) continually view the face of My Father in heaven.(L) [11 For the Son of Man(M) has come to save the lost.][f] 12 What do you think?(N) If a man has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99 on the hillside and go and search for the stray?(O) 13 And if he finds it, I assure you: He rejoices over that sheep[g] more than over the 99 that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Restoring a Brother
15 “If your brother sins against you,[h] go and rebuke him in private.[i] If he listens to you, you have won your brother.(P) 16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two more with you, so that by the testimony[j] of two or three witnesses every fact may be established.(Q)[k] 17 If he pays no attention to them, tell the church.[l](R) But if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever[m] and a tax collector to you.(S) 18 I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already bound[n] in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed[o] in heaven.(T) 19 Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you[p] pray for, it will be done for you[q] by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”(U)
22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus said to him, “but 70 times seven.[r] 23 For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talents[s] was brought before him. 25 Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.(V)
26 “At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!’ 27 Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.
28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii.[t](W) He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’
29 “At this, his fellow slave fell down[u] and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t willing. On the contrary, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31 When the other slaves saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’(X) 34 And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 35 So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother[v] from his[w] heart.”(Y)
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:1 Lit hour
- Matthew 18:3 Or are turned around
- Matthew 18:5 Or receives
- Matthew 18:6 A millstone turned by a donkey
- Matthew 18:9 Lit gehenna of fire
- Matthew 18:11 Other mss omit bracketed text
- Matthew 18:13 Lit over it
- Matthew 18:15 Other mss omit against you
- Matthew 18:15 Lit him between you and him alone
- Matthew 18:16 Lit mouth
- Matthew 18:16 Dt 19:15
- Matthew 18:17 Or congregation
- Matthew 18:17 Or like a Gentile
- Matthew 18:18 Or earth will be bound
- Matthew 18:18 Or earth will be loosed
- Matthew 18:19 Lit they
- Matthew 18:19 Lit for them
- Matthew 18:22 Or but 77 times
- Matthew 18:24 A huge sum of money that could never be repaid by a slave; a talent = 6,000 denarii
- Matthew 18:28 A small sum compared to 10,000 talents
- Matthew 18:29 Other mss add at his feet
- Matthew 18:35 Other mss add his trespasses
- Matthew 18:35 Lit your
Matthew 18
American Standard Version
18 In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is [a]greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the [b]greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me: 6 but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that [c]a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.
7 Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh! 8 And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 9 And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the [d]hell of fire. 10 See that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.[e] 12 How think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the mountains, and seek that which goeth astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray. 14 Even so it is not [f]the will of [g]your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
15 And if thy brother sin [h]against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. 17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the [i]church: and if he refuse to hear the [j]church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the [k]publican. 18 Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it [l]shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21 Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until [m]seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would make a reckoning with his [n]servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:1 Greek greater.
- Matthew 18:4 Greek greater.
- Matthew 18:6 Greek a millstone turned by an ass.
- Matthew 18:9 Greek Gehenna of fire.
- Matthew 18:10 Many authorities, some ancient, insert verse 11 For the Son of man came to save that which was lost. See Lk. 19:10.
- Matthew 18:14 Greek a thing willed before your Father.
- Matthew 18:14 Some ancient authorities read my.
- Matthew 18:15 Some ancient authorities omit against thee.
- Matthew 18:17 Or, congregation
- Matthew 18:17 Or, congregation
- Matthew 18:17 See marginal note on 5:46.
- Matthew 18:19 Greek shall become.
- Matthew 18:22 Or, seventy times and seven
- Matthew 18:23 Greek bondservants.
- Matthew 18:24 This talent was probably worth about £200, or $1000.
- Matthew 18:26 Greek bondservant.
- Matthew 18:26 See marginal note on 2:2.
- Matthew 18:27 Greek bondservant.
- Matthew 18:27 Greek loan.
- Matthew 18:28 Greek bondservant.
- Matthew 18:28 The word in the Greek denotes a coin worth about eight pence half-penny, or nearly seventeen cents.
- Matthew 18:32 Greek bondservant.
Matthew 18
Young's Literal Translation
18 At that hour came the disciples near to Jesus, saying, `Who, now, is greater in the reign of the heavens?'
2 And Jesus having called near a child, did set him in the midst of them,
3 and said, `Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens;
4 whoever then may humble himself as this child, he is the greater in the reign of the heavens.
5 `And he who may receive one such child in my name, doth receive me,
6 and whoever may cause to stumble one of those little ones who are believing in me, it is better for him that a weighty millstone may be hanged upon his neck, and he may be sunk in the depth of the sea.
7 `Wo to the world from the stumbling-blocks! for there is a necessity for the stumbling-blocks to come, but wo to that man through whom the stumbling-block doth come!
8 `And if thy hand or thy foot doth cause thee to stumble, cut them off and cast from thee; it is good for thee to enter into the life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast to the fire the age-during.
9 `And if thine eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee; it is good for thee one-eyed to enter into the life, rather than having two eyes to be cast to the gehenna of the fire.
10 `Beware! -- ye may not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their messengers in the heavens do always behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens,
11 for the Son of Man did come to save the lost.
12 `What think ye? if a man may have an hundred sheep, and there may go astray one of them, doth he not -- having left the ninety-nine, having gone on the mountains -- seek that which is gone astray?
13 and if it may come to pass that he doth find it, verily I say to you, that he doth rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray;
14 so it is not will in presence of your Father who is in the heavens, that one of these little ones may perish.
15 `And if thy brother may sin against thee, go and show him his fault between thee and him alone, if he may hear thee, thou didst gain thy brother;
16 and if he may not hear, take with thee yet one or two, that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may stand.
17 `And if he may not hear them, say [it] to the assembly, and if also the assembly he may not hear, let him be to thee as the heathen man and the tax-gatherer.
18 `Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
19 `Again, I say to you, that, if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask -- it shall be done to them from my Father who is in the heavens,
20 for where there are two or three gathered together -- to my name, there am I in the midst of them.'
21 Then Peter having come near to him, said, `Sir, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him -- till seven times?'
22 Jesus saith to him, `I do not say to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven.
23 `Because of this was the reign of the heavens likened to a man, a king, who did will to take reckoning with his servants,
24 and he having begun to take account, there was brought near to him one debtor of a myriad of talents,
25 and he having nothing to pay, his lord did command him to be sold, and his wife, and the children, and all, whatever he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant then, having fallen down, was bowing to him, saying, Sir, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all;
27 and the lord of that servant having been moved with compassion did release him, and the debt he forgave him.
28 `And, that servant having come forth, found one of his fellow-servants who was owing him an hundred denaries, and having laid hold, he took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that which thou owest.
29 His fellow-servant then, having fallen down at his feet, was calling on him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all;
30 and he would not, but having gone away, he cast him into prison, till he might pay that which was owing.
31 `And his fellow-servants having seen the things that were done, were grieved exceedingly, and having come, shewed fully to their lord all the things that were done;
32 then having called him, his lord saith to him, Evil servant! all that debt I did forgive thee, seeing thou didst call upon me,
33 did it not behove also thee to have dealt kindly with thy fellow-servant, as I also dealt kindly with thee?
34 `And having been wroth, his lord delivered him to the inquisitors, till he might pay all that was owing to him;
35 so also my heavenly Father will do to you, if ye may not forgive each one his brother from your hearts their trespasses.'
Matthew 18
Revised Standard Version
True Greatness
18 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 turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Temptations to Sin
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin![b] For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin,[c] cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin,[d] pluck 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 hell[e] of fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.[f] 12 What do you think? 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 it is not the will of my[g] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Reproving Another Who Sins
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Forgiveness
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.[h]
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents;[i] 25 and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii;[j] and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; 33 and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers,[k] till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:6 Greek causes . . . to stumble
- Matthew 18:7 Greek stumbling blocks
- Matthew 18:8 Greek causes . . . to stumble
- Matthew 18:9 Greek causes . . . to stumble
- Matthew 18:9 Greek Gehenna
- Matthew 18:10 Other ancient authorities add verse 11, For the Son of man came to save the lost
- Matthew 18:14 Other ancient authorities read your
- Matthew 18:22 Or seventy-seven times
- Matthew 18:24 This talent was more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer
- Matthew 18:28 The denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer
- Matthew 18:34 Greek torturers
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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.