Psalm 18

New International Version

Psalm 18^[a]^(A)

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

¹I love you, Lord, my strength.^(B)

²The Lord is my rock,^(C) my fortress^(D) and my deliverer;^(E)
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^(F)
my shield^[b]^(G) and the horn^[c] of my salvation,^(H) my stronghold.

³I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,^(I)
    and I have been saved from my enemies.^(J)
⁴The cords of death^(K) entangled me;
    the torrents^(L) of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death^(M) confronted me.

⁶In my distress^(N) I called to the Lord;^(O)
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;^(P)
    my cry came^(Q) before him, into his ears.
⁷The earth trembled^(R) and quaked,^(S)
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;^(T)
    they trembled because he was angry.^(U)
⁸Smoke rose from his nostrils;^(V)
    consuming fire^(W) came from his mouth,
    burning coals^(X) blazed out of it.
⁹He parted the heavens and came down;^(Y)
    dark clouds^(Z) were under his feet.
¹⁰He mounted the cherubim^(AA) and flew;
    he soared^(AB) on the wings of the wind.^(AC)
¹¹He made darkness his covering,^(AD) his canopy^(AE) around him—
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹²Out of the brightness of his presence^(AF) clouds advanced,
    with hailstones^(AG) and bolts of lightning.^(AH)
¹³The Lord thundered^(AI) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
¹⁴He shot his arrows^(AJ) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning^(AK) he routed them.^(AL)
¹⁵The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations^(AM) of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke,^(AN) Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.^(AO)

¹⁶He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.^(AP)
¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemy,^(AQ)
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.^(AR)
¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my disaster,^(AS)
    but the Lord was my support.^(AT)
¹⁹He brought me out into a spacious place;^(AU)
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.^(AV)

²⁰The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;^(AW)
    according to the cleanness of my hands^(AX) he has rewarded me.^(AY)
²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord;^(AZ)
    I am not guilty of turning^(BA) from my God.
²²All his laws are before me;^(BB)
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³I have been blameless^(BC) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^(BD)
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵To the faithful^(BE) you show yourself faithful,^(BF)
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶to the pure^(BG) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^(BH)
²⁷You save the humble^(BI)
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.^(BJ)
²⁸You, Lord, keep my lamp^(BK) burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.^(BL)
²⁹With your help^(BM) I can advance against a troop^[e];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect:^(BN)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;^(BO)
    he shields^(BP) all who take refuge^(BQ) in him.
³¹For who is God besides the Lord?^(BR)
    And who is the Rock^(BS) except our God?
³²It is God who arms me with strength^(BT)
    and keeps my way secure.^(BU)
³³He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^(BV)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.^(BW)
³⁴He trains my hands for battle;^(BX)
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains^(BY) me;
    your help has made me great.
³⁶You provide a broad path^(BZ) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.^(CA)

³⁷I pursued my enemies^(CB) and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸I crushed them^(CC) so that they could not rise;^(CD)
    they fell beneath my feet.^(CE)
³⁹You armed me with strength^(CF) for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries^(CG) before me.
⁴⁰You made my enemies turn their backs^(CH) in flight,
    and I destroyed^(CI) my foes.
⁴¹They cried for help, but there was no one to save them^(CJ)—
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.^(CK)
⁴²I beat them as fine as windblown dust;^(CL)
    I trampled them^[f] like mud in the streets.
⁴³You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.^(CM)
People I did not know^(CN) now serve me,
⁴⁴    foreigners^(CO) cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵They all lose heart;^(CP)
    they come trembling^(CQ) from their strongholds.^(CR)

⁴⁶The Lord lives!^(CS) Praise be to my Rock!^(CT)
    Exalted be God^(CU) my Savior!^(CV)
⁴⁷He is the God who avenges^(CW) me,
    who subdues nations^(CX) under me,
⁴⁸    who saves^(CY) me from my enemies.^(CZ)
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man^(DA) you rescued me.
⁴⁹Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;^(DB)
    I will sing^(DC) the praises of your name.^(DD)

⁵⁰He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,^(DE)
to David^(DF) and to his descendants forever.^(DG)

Footnotes

Psalm 18:1 In Hebrew texts 18:1-50 is numbered 18:2-51.
Psalm 18:2 Or sovereign
Psalm 18:2 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Psalm 18:13 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Samuel 22:14); most Hebrew manuscripts resounded, / amid hailstones and bolts of lightning
Psalm 18:29 Or can run through a barricade
Psalm 18:42 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Targum (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); Masoretic Text I poured them out

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?”

²He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,^(B) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^(C) ⁴Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.^(D) ⁵And 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) ⁷Woe 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) ⁸If 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. ⁹And 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? ¹³And 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. ¹⁴In 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. ¹⁶But 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) ¹⁷If 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. ²⁰For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”^(S)

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

²¹Then 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)

²²Jesus 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. ²⁴As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold^[h] was brought to him. ²⁵Since 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.’ ²⁷The 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. ³¹When 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. ³³Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴In 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).