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Matthew 18
Wycliffe Bible
Matthew 18
Wycliffe Bible
18 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, and said [saying], Who, guessest thou, is [the] greater in the kingdom of heavens?
2 And Jesus called a little child, and put him in the middle of them; [And Jesus, calling a little child, set him in the midst of them;]
3 and said, I say truth to you [and said, Truly I say to you], but ye be turned, and [be] made as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavens.
4 Therefore whoever meeketh him[self] as this little child, he is [the] greater in the kingdom of heavens.[a]
5 And he that receiveth one such little child in my name, receiveth me.
6 But whoso causeth to stumble one of these small[b], that believe in me, it speedeth to him that a millstone of asses be hanged in his neck, and [that] he be drowned in the deepness of the sea.
7 Woe to the world, for causes of stumbling; for it is need that causes of stumbling come; nevertheless woe to that man by whom a cause of stumbling cometh. [Woe to the world, for offences; truly it is need, that offences come; nevertheless, woe to that man by whom an offence cometh.]
8 And if thine hand or thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it away from thee. It is better to thee to enter to life feeble, either crooked, than having twain hands or two feet to be sent into everlasting fire.[c]
9 And if thine eye cause thee to stumble [And if thine eye offend thee], pull it out, and cast it away from thee. It is better to thee with one eye to enter into life, than having twain eyes to be sent into the fire of hell [than having two eyes to be sent into hell fire].
10 See ye, that ye despise not one of these little. For I say to you, that the angels of them in heavens see evermore the face of my Father that is in heavens [Truly I say to you, for the angels of them in heavens see ever the face of my Father which is in heavens].
11 For man's Son came to save that thing that perished.
12 What seemeth to you? If there were to a man an hundred sheep, and one of them hath erred, whether he shall not leave ninety and nine in desert [whether he shall not leave ninety and nine in the hills], and shall go to seek that that erred?
13 And if it fall that he find it, truly I say to you, that he shall have joy thereof more than on ninety and nine that erred not. [And if it befall that he find it, truly I say to you, for he shall joy thereon more than of ninety and nine that erred not.]
14 So it is not the will of your Father that is in heavens[d], that one of these little perish.
15 But if thy brother sinneth against thee, go thou, and reprove him, betwixt thee and him alone; if he heareth thee, thou hast won thy brother.[e]
16 And if he heareth thee not, take with thee one or twain, that every word stand in the mouth of twain or three witnesses. [Truly if he shall not hear thee, take with thee one or two, that every word stand in the mouth of two or three witnesses.]
17 And if he heareth not them, say thou to the church. But if he heareth not the church, be he as an heathen and a publican to thee. [That if he shall not hear them, say thou to the church. Forsooth if he shall not hear the church, be he to thee as an heathen man and a publican.]
18 I say to you truly, whatever things ye [shall] bind on earth, those shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever things ye [shall] unbind on earth, those shall be unbound also in heaven. [I say to you truly, whatever things ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever things ye shall unbind on earth, shall be unbound also in heaven.]
19 Again I say to you, that if twain of you consent on earth, of every thing whatever they ask, it shall be done to them of my Father that is in heavens.[f]
20 For where twain or three be gathered in my name, there I am in the middle of them. [For where two or three be gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.]
21 Then Peter came to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I shall forgive him? Whether till seven times?
22 Jesus saith to him, I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.
23 Therefore the kingdom of heavens is likened to a king, that would reckon with his servants.
24 And when he began to reckon, one that owed to him ten thousand talents, was brought to him[g].
25 And when he had not whereof to yield, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all things that he had, and to be paid.
26 But that servant felled down, and prayed him, and said [saying], Have patience in me, and I shall yield to thee all things.
27 And the lord had mercy on that servant, and suffered him to go, and forgave him the debt.[h]
28 But that servant went out, and found one of his even-servants, that owed him an hundred pence; and he held him, and strangled him, and said [saying], Yield that that thou owest.
29 And his even-servant fell down, and prayed him, and said [saying], Have patience in me, and I shall requite all things to thee.
30 But he would not; but went out, and put him into prison [but went and sent him into prison], till he [had] paid all the debt.
31 And his even-servants, seeing the things that were done, [were] sorrowed greatly. And they came, and told to their lord all the things that were done.
32 Then his lord called him, and said to him, Wicked servant, I forgave to thee all the debt, for thou prayedest me.
33 Therefore whether it behooved not also thee to have mercy on thine even-servant [on thy even-servant], as [also] I had mercy on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and took him to tormentors [And his lord wroth, betook him to tormentors], till he [had] paid all the debt.
35 So [and] my Father of heaven shall do to you, if ye forgive not every man to his brother, of your hearts.
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:4 Therefore whoever shall meek himself as this little child, he is the greater in the realm of heavens.
- Matthew 18:6 Forsooth who shall offend one of these little
- Matthew 18:8 Forsooth if thine hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off, and cast it away from thee. It is good to thee to enter into life feeble, or crooked, than having two hands or two feet to be sent into everlasting fire.
- Matthew 18:14 which is in heavens/that is in heaven
- Matthew 18:15 Forsooth if thy brother shall sin against thee, go thou, and reprove him, or snub, between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast won thy brother.
- Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent on the earth, of each thing whatever they shall ask, it shall be done to them of my Father which is in heavens.
- Matthew 18:24 one was brought to him, that owed to him ten thousand bezants, or talents
- Matthew 18:27 Forsooth the lord of that servant having mercy, let go him, or suffered him/delivered him, and forgave to him the debt.
Matthew 18
New International Version
Matthew 18
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)
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 18
English Standard Version
Matthew 18
English Standard Version
Who Is the Greatest?
18 (A)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 (B)turn and (C)become like children, you (D)will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 (E)Whoever humbles himself like this child is the (F)greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 (G)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but (H)whoever causes one of these (I)little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] 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 (J)temptations to sin![b] (K)For it is necessary that temptations come, (L)but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 (M)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 (N)the eternal fire. 9 (O)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 (P)hell[c] of fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See that you do not despise (Q)one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven (R)their angels always (S)see the face of my Father who is in heaven.[d] 12 (T)What do you think? (U)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 (V)it is not the will of my[e] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
If Your Brother Sins Against You
15 (W)“If your brother sins against you, (X)go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have (Y)gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established (Z)by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, (AA)tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, (AB)let him be to you as (AC)a Gentile and (AD)a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, (AE)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[f] in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you (AF)agree on earth about anything they ask, (AG)it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are (AH)gathered in my name, (AI)there am I among them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often (AJ)will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? (AK)As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished (AL)to settle accounts with his servants.[h] 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him (AM)ten thousand (AN)talents.[i] 25 (AO)And since he could not pay, his master ordered him (AP)to be sold, with his wife and (AQ)children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant[j] (AR)fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and (AS)forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred (AT)denarii,[k] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until 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 master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 (AU)And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 (AV)And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[l] (AW)until he should pay all his debt. 35 (AX)So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother (AY)from your heart.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:6 Greek causes… to stumble; also verses 8, 9
- Matthew 18:7 Greek stumbling blocks
- Matthew 18:9 Greek Gehenna
- Matthew 18:10 Some manuscripts add verse 11: For the Son of Man came to save the lost
- Matthew 18:14 Some manuscripts your
- Matthew 18:18 Or shall have been bound… shall have been loosed
- Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven
- Matthew 18:23 Or bondservants; also verses 28, 31
- Matthew 18:24 A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years' wages for a laborer
- Matthew 18:26 Or bondservant; also verses 27, 28, 29, 32, 33
- Matthew 18:28 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Matthew 18:34 Greek torturers
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.