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
Matthew 18
Expanded Bible
Who Is the Greatest?(A)
18 At that time the ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his ·followers [disciples]. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you must ·change [or turn from your sins; convert; L turn] and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven [L therefore] is the one who makes himself humble [and becomes] like this [little] child.
5 “[L And] Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] a child ·in my name [C as a representative or follower of Jesus] ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me [C indicates concern for the lowly; children had low social status]. 6 If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; L millstone of a donkey] tied around the neck and be ·drowned [L thrown] in the [L depths of the] sea. 7 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] ·the people of the world [L the world] because of ·the things that cause them to sin [temptations to sin; L stumbling blocks]. ·Such things will happen [L It is necessary for stumbling blocks to come], but ·how terrible for [L woe to] the one ·who causes them to happen [L through whom the stumbling block comes]! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [L to enter life maimed or crippled] than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire]. 9 If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], ·take [tear; gouge] it out and throw it away. It is better for you to ·have only one eye and live forever [L enter life one-eyed] than to have two eyes and be thrown into the ·fire of hell [L Gehenna of fire; 5:22].
A Lost Sheep(B)
10 “Be careful [Watch out; or See that you…]. Don’t ·think these little children are worth nothing [L despise/look down on one of these little ones]. [L For] I tell you that they have angels in heaven who are always ·with [in the presence of; L see the face of] my Father in heaven. |11 The Son of Man came to save ·lost people [that which was lost].|[a]
12 “[L What do you think?] If a man has a hundred sheep but one of the sheep ·gets lost [goes astray; wanders off], ·he will [L won’t he…?] leave the other ninety-nine on the ·hill [L hills; mountains] and go to look for the lost sheep. 13 I tell you the truth, if he finds it he ·is happier about [rejoices more over] that one sheep than ·about [over] the ninety-nine that ·were never lost [never went astray/wandered off]. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven ·does not want [is not willing that] any of these little children to ·be lost [perish].
When a Person Sins Against You(C)
15 “If your ·fellow believer [L brother (or sister)] sins against you,[b] go and ·tell him what he did wrong [L reprove/convict/correct him] ·in private [L between you and him alone]. If he listens to you, you have ·helped that person to be your brother or sister again [L gained/won back your brother (or sister)]. 16 But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. ‘Every ·case [matter; charge] may be proved by [the testimony of; L the mouth of] two or three witnesses’ [Deut. 19:15]. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a ·person who does not believe in God [pagan; Gentile] or like a tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, ·the things [whatever] you ·don’t allow [forbid; L bind] on earth will be ·the things God does not allow [forbidden/bound in heaven]. And ·the things [whatever] you ·allow [permit; L loose] on earth will be ·the things that God allows [permitted/L loosed in heaven].”
19 “·Also [Again], I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something ·and pray for it [L for which you have asked], it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 ·This is true because if [L For where] two or three people ·come [are assembled/gathered] together in my name, I am there ·with them [among them; in their midst].”
An Unforgiving Servant(D)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my ·fellow believer [L brother (or sister)] sins against me, how many times ·must [should] I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him not just seven times, but ·seventy times seven times [or seventy-seven times; C the Greek can mean either 490 or 77; the point is unlimited forgiveness]!
23 “[L Therefore; For this reason] The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to ·collect the money his servants owed him [L settle accounts with his servants/slaves]. 24 When the king began ·to collect his money [the settlement/reckoning], a ·servant [slave] who owed him ·several million dollars [or billions of dollars; L ten thousand talents; C a talent was worth about six thousand days’ wages; this is an impossibly high debt] was brought to him. 25 But ·the servant [L he] did not have enough money to pay his master. So the master ordered that ·the servant [L he] be sold, together with his wife and children and everything he owned, and the debt paid.
26 “But the ·servant [slave] fell ·on his knees [face down; in obeisance] and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’ 27 The master felt ·sorry [compassion] for ·his servant [that slave], so he let him go free and ·forgave [canceled] the debt.
28 “·Later [L After departing], that same ·servant [slave] found ·another servant [a fellow servant/slave] who owed him a ·few dollars [hundred denarii]. ·The servant [L He] grabbed him ·around the neck [L and began choking him] and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’
29 “The ·other servant [fellow servant/slave] fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’
30 “But ·the first servant [L he] refused. He threw ·the other servant [him] into prison until he could pay everything he owed. 31 When ·the other servants [his fellow servants/slaves] saw what had happened, they were very ·sorry [upset; distressed]. So they went and ·told [reported to] their master all that had happened.
32 “Then the master called ·his servant [L him] in and said, ‘You ·evil [wicked] ·servant [slave]! Because you ·begged [pleaded with] me, I forgave [canceled] all that debt. 33 ·You should have [L Shouldn’t you have…?] showed mercy to ·that other servant [your fellow servant/slave], just as I showed mercy to you.’ 34 The master was very angry and ·put the servant in prison to be punished [L delivered him to the tormenters/torturers] until he could pay everything he owed.
35 “·This king did what [L So also] my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:11 The … people. Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text.
- Matthew 18:15 against you Some Greek copies do not have “against you.”
Matteus 18
Svenska 1917
18 I samma stund trädde lärjungarna fram till Jesus och frågade: »Vilken är den störste i himmelriket?»
2 Då kallade han fram ett barn och ställde det mitt ibland dem
3 och sade: »Sannerligen säger jag eder: Om I icke omvänden eder och bliven såsom barn, skolen I icke komma in i himmelriket.
4 Den som nu så ödmjukar sig, att han bliver såsom detta barn, han är den störste i himmelriket.
5 Och den som tager emot ett sådant barn I mitt namn, han tager emot mig.
6 Men den som förför en av dessa små som tro på mig, för honom vore det bättre att en kvarnsten hängdes om hans hals och han sänktes ned i havets djup.
7 Ve världen för förförelsers skull! Förförelser måste ju komma; men ve den människa genom vilken förförelsen kommer!
8 Om nu din hand eller din fot är dig till förförelse, så hugg av den och kasta den ifrån dig. Det är bättre för dig att ingå i livet lytt eller halt, än att hava båda händerna eller båda fötterna i behåll och kastas i den eviga elden.
9 Och om ditt öga är dig till förförelse, så riv ut det och kasta det ifrån dig. Det är bättre för dig att ingå i livet enögd, än att hava båda ögonen i behåll och kastas i det brinnande Gehenna.
10 Sen till, att I icke förakten någon av dessa små; ty jag säger eder att deras änglar i himmelen alltid se min himmelske Faders ansikte.
11 12 Vad synes eder? Om en man har hundra får, och ett av dem har kommit vilse, lämnar han icke då de nittionio på bergen och går åstad och söker efter det som har kommit vilse?
13 Och händer det då att han finner det -- sannerligen säger jag eder: då gläder han sig mer över det fåret än över de nittionio som icke hade kommit vilse.
14 Så är det ej heller eder himmelske Faders vilja att någon av dessa små skall gå förlorad.
15 Men om din broder försyndar sig, så gå åstad och förehåll honom det enskilt. Om han då lyssnar till dig, så har du vunnit din broder.
16 Men om han icke lyssnar till dig, så tag med dig ännu en eller två, för att 'var sak må avgöras efter två eller tre vittnens utsago'.
17 Lyssnar han icke till dem, så säg det till församlingen. Lyssnar han ej heller till församlingen, så vare han för dig såsom en hedning och en publikan.
18 Sannerligen säger jag eder: Allt vad I binden på jorden, det skall vara bundet i himmelen; och allt vad I lösen på jorden, det skall vara löst i himmelen.
19 Ytterligare säger jag eder, att om två av eder här på jorden komma överens att bedja om något, vad det vara må, så skall det beskäras dem av min Fader, som är i himmelen.
20 Ty var två eller tre är församlade i mitt namn, där är jag mitt ibland dem.»
21 Då trädde Petrus fram och sade till honom: »Herre, huru många gånger skall jag förlåta min broder, om han försyndar sig mot mig? Är sju gånger nog?»
22 Jesus svarade honom: »Jag säger dig: Icke sju gånger, utan sjuttio gånger sju gånger.
23 Alltså är det med himmelriket, såsom när en konung ville hålla räkenskap med sina tjänare.
24 Och när han begynte hålla räkenskap, förde man fram till honom en som var skyldig honom tio tusen pund.
25 Men då denna icke kunde betala, bjöd hans herre att han skulle säljas, så ock hans hustru och barn och allt vad han ägde, för att skulden måtte bliva betald.
26 Då föll tjänaren ned för hans fötter och sade: 'Hav tålamod med mig, så skall jag betala dig alltsammans.'
27 Och tjänarens herre ömkade sig över honom och gav honom fri och efterskänkte honom hans skuld.
28 Men när samme tjänare kom ut, träffade han på en av sina medtjänare, som var skyldig honom hundra silverpenningar; och han tog fast denne och grep honom vid strupen och sade: 'Betala vad du är skyldig.'
29 Då föll hans medtjänare ned och bad honom och sade: 'Hav tålamod med mig, så skall jag betala dig.'
30 Men han ville icke, utan gick åstad och lät sätta honom i fängelse, till dess han hade betalt vad han var skyldig.
31 Då nu hans medtjänare sågo det som skedde, togo de mycket illa vid sig och gingo och berättade för sin herre allt som hade skett.
32 Då kallade hans herre honom till sig och sade till honom: 'Du onde tjänare, allt vad du var skyldig efterskänkte jag dig, eftersom du bad mig därom.
33 Borde då icke också du hava förbarmat dig över din medtjänare, såsom jag förbarmade mig över dig?'
34 Och i sin vrede överlämnade hans herre honom i fångknektarnas våld, intill dess han hade betalt allt vad han var skyldig.
35 Så skall ock min himmelske Fader göra med eder, om I icke av hjärtat förlåten var och en sin broder.»
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.