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.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished (AL)to settle accounts with his servants.[g] 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him (AM)ten thousand (AN)talents.[h] 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[i] (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,[j] 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,[k] (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 18:23 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
Mattityahu 18
Orthodox Jewish Bible
18 At that time, the talmidim approached Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach with this she’elah saying, Who then is greatest in the Malchut HaShomayim?
2 And having called a yeled to himself, he set him before them,
3 and said, Omein, I say to you, unless you change inwardly and have a complete turn around and become like yeladim, you shall never enter the Malchut HaShomayim.
4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this yeled, he is the greatest in the Malchut HaShomayim.
5 And whoever receives one such yeled in my Name receives me [Moshiach].
6 But whoever causes a michshol (stumbling block) for one of these little ones, who have emunah in me, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 Oy lOlam (Woe to the World) because of its michsholim (stumbling blocks)! For it is inevitable that michsholim come; but oy to that man through whom the michshol comes.
8 And if your hand or your foot causes a michshol for you, cut it off, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter Chayyim crippled or as one of the pisechim (lame), than, having two hands and two feet, to be cast into the Eish Olam (Eternal Fire).
9 And if your eye causes a michshol for you, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter Chayyim one-eyed than, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehinnom HaEish.
10 See to it that you do not look down on one of these little ones, for I say to you that their malachim which are in Shomayim continually behold the face of Avi shbaShomayim (my Father who is in Heaven).
11 For the Ben HaAdam [Moshiach] came to save that which was lost.
12 What do you think? If any man owns a hundred kevesim (sheep) and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go and search for the one that is straying?
13 And if it turns out that he finds it, beemes I say to you, he has more simcha (joy) over it than over the ninetynine which have not gone astray.
14 Thus it is not the ratzon Hashem, the will of your Av shbaShomayim, that one of these little ones perish.
15 And if your Ach b’Moshiach sins against you, go and reprove him in private, just between the two of you; if he listens to you, you have gained your Ach b’Moshiach.
16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more Achim b’Moshiach with you, so that by the PI SHNAYIM SHLOSHAH EDIM (by the mouth of two or three witnesses, DEVARIM 19:15) every word shall be established.
17 But if he refuses to listen to them, speak to the shtiebel kehillah, and if he even refuses to hear the kehillah, let him be to you as the Goy (heathen, pagan) and the moches (tax-collector).
18 Omein, I say to you, whatever you bind as asur (prohibited) on haaretz will have been bound in Shomayim, and whatever you permit as mutar on haaretz is mutar (permitted) in Shomayim.
19 Again, omein, I say to you, that if two of you will be in agreement about anything on haaretz that you petition for, it will be done for them by Avi shbaShomayim.
20 For where two or three are gathered as a Chavurah and are a Kehillah in my name [Moshiach], there I am in the midst of them.
21 Then, having approached, Kefa said to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach: Adoni, how often will my brother sin against me and I will grant to him selicha (forgiveness)? As many as shevah (seven) times?
22 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to Kefa, I do not say to you as many as shevah, but as many as shivim (seventy) times shevah.
23 Therefore, the Malchut HaShomayim is like a melech, a king, who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
24 And having begun to settle accounts, a debtor owing ten thousand talents was brought to the melech.
25 And, as this debtor did not have the means to pay what was owed his adon, the king commanded that he and his wife and children and everything he possessed be sold and the debt repaid.
26 Therefore, crying out for rachamim (mercy) and falling down before him, the servant said, Have zitzfleisch (patience) with me and I will pay back to you everything!
27 And out of rachamanut (compassion), the adon of that servant pardoned him and forgave the choiv (debt).
28 Then the debtor went out and found one of the other fellow servants who happened to owe the debtor one hundred denarii. And seizing and choking the servant, the debtor said, Repay what you owe me!
29 And, falling down, the servant said to the debtor, Have zitzfleisch (patience) with me and I will repay you.
30 But the debtor was not willing. Then the debtor went and threw the servant into the beit hasohar (prison) until he should repay the debt.
31 Therefore, when the man’s fellow servants saw what had taken place, great was their agmat nefesh (grief), and they went and reported to their adon all that had taken place.
32 Then having summoned the debtor, his adon said to him, Wicked servant, all that choiv (debt) I forgave you, because you begged me.
33 Was it not necessary also for you to have rachamim (mercy) upon your fellow servant?
34 And in charon af (wrath), his adon handed the debtor over to the keepers of the beit hasohar until the debtor should repay the entire choiv (debt).
35 Thus also Avi shbaShomayim will do to you, unless you grant selicha (forgiveness), each one to his brother from your lev (heart).
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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