Matthew 13-19

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house ^(A)and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, ^(B)so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And ^(C)he told them many things in parables, saying: ^(D)“A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but ^(E)when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, ^(F)they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among ^(G)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some ^(H)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9 (I)He who has ears,^[a] let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, ^(J)“To you it has been given to know ^(K)the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ^12 (L)For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, ^(M)even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because ^(N)seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, ^(O)nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

¹⁶ But ^(U)blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ^17 (V)For truly, I say to you, ^(W)many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

^18 (X)“Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of ^(Y)the kingdom and ^(Z)does not understand it, ^(AA)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately ^(AB)receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but ^(AC)endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately ^(AD)he falls away.^{[b] 22} As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but ^(AE)the cares of ^(AF)the world and ^(AG)the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and ^(AH)understands it. He indeed ^(AI)bears fruit and yields, in one case ^(AJ)a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ He put another parable before them, saying, ^(AK)“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵ but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds^[c] among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants^[d] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he said, ^(AL)‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ^(AM)“Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

³¹ He put another parable before them, saying, ^(AN)“The kingdom of heaven is like ^(AO)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ He told them another parable. ^(AP)“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^(AQ)three measures of flour, till it was ^(AR)all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

^34 (AS)All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:^[e]

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into ^(AW)the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ^(AX)“Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed is ^(AY)the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are ^(AZ)the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. ^(BA)The harvest is ^(BB)the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds ^(BC)are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at ^(BD)the end of the age. ^41 (BE)The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all ^(BF)causes of sin and ^(BG)all law-breakers, ^42 (BH)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^(BI)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then ^(BJ)the righteous will shine like the sun ^(BK)in the kingdom of their Father. ^(BL)He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven ^(BM)is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy ^(BN)he goes and sells all that he has and ^(BO)buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding ^(BP)one pearl of great value, ^(BQ)went and sold all that he had and ^(BR)bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is ^(BS)like a net that was thrown into the sea and ^(BT)gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, ^(BU)men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at ^(BV)the end of the age. The angels will come out and ^(BW)separate the evil from the righteous ^50 (BX)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^(BY)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

^51 (BZ)“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” ⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every ^(CA)scribe ^(CB)who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who ^(CC)brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

⁵³ And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, ^54 (CD)and coming to ^(CE)his hometown ^(CF)he taught them in their synagogue, so that ^(CG)they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ^55 (CH)Is not this ^(CI)the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not ^(CJ)his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And ^(CK)they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ^(CL)“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” ⁵⁸ And he did not do many mighty works there, ^(CM)because of their unbelief.

The Death of John the Baptist

14 ^(CN)At that time ^(CO)Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, ² and he said to his servants, ^(CP)“This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ³ For ^(CQ)Herod had seized John and bound him and ^(CR)put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,^{[f] 4} because John had been saying to him, ^(CS)“It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ And though he wanted to put him to death, ^(CT)he feared the people, because they held him to be ^(CU)a prophet. ⁶ But when Herod's ^(CV)birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, ⁷ so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” ⁹ And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. ¹⁰ He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, ¹¹ and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ¹² And ^(CW)his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, ^(CX)he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore he ^(CY)saw a great crowd, and ^(CZ)he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; ^(DA)send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said, “They need not go away; ^(DB)you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, ^(DC)he looked up to heaven and ^(DD)said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

^22 (DE)Immediately he ^(DF)made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, ^(DG)he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When ^(DH)evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but the boat by this time was a long way^[g] from the land,^[h] beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ And ^(DI)in the fourth watch of the night^[i] he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, ^(DJ)they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ^(DK)“Take heart; it is I. ^(DL)Do not be afraid.”

²⁸ And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and ^(DM)walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind,^[j] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ^(DN)“Lord, save me.” ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ^(DO)“O you of little faith, why did you ^(DP)doubt?” ³² And when they got into the boat, ^(DQ)the wind ceased. ³³ And ^(DR)those in the boat ^(DS)worshiped him, saying, ^(DT)“Truly you are ^(DU)the Son of God.”

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

^34 (DV)And when they had crossed over, they came to land at ^(DW)Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and ^(DX)brought to him all who were sick ³⁶ and implored him that they might only touch ^(DY)the fringe of his garment. And ^(DZ)as many as touched it were made well.

Traditions and Commandments

15 ^(EA)Then Pharisees and ^(EB)scribes came to Jesus ^(EC)from Jerusalem and said, ^2 (ED)“Why do your disciples break ^(EE)the tradition of the elders? ^(EF)For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” ³ He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, ^(EG)‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^(EH)‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”^{[k] 6} he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have ^(EI)made void the word^[l] of God. ^7 (EJ)You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

What Defiles a Person

¹⁰ And he called the people to him and said to them, ^(EM)“Hear and understand: ^11 (EN)it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” ¹² Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were ^(EO)offended when they heard this saying?” ¹³ He answered, ^(EP)“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted ^(EQ)will be rooted up. ¹⁴ Let them alone; ^(ER)they are blind guides.^[m] And ^(ES)if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ But Peter said to him, ^(ET)“Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ And he said, ^(EU)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that ^(EV)whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?^{[n] 18} But ^(EW)what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come ^(EX)evil thoughts, ^(EY)murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, ^(EZ)slander. ^20 (FA)These are what defile a person. But ^(FB)to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

^21 (FC)And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, ^(FD)a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ^(FE)“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” ²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ^(FF)“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, ^(FG)“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and ^(FH)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and ^(FI)throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat ^(FJ)the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, ^(FK)great is your faith! ^(FL)Be it done for you as you desire.” ^(FM)And her daughter was ^(FN)healed instantly.^[o]

Jesus Heals Many

^29 (FO)Jesus went on from there and walked ^(FP)beside the Sea of Galilee. And he ^(FQ)went up on the mountain and sat down there. ³⁰ And great crowds came to him, bringing with them ^(FR)the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, ^31 (FS)so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, ^(FT)the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And ^(FU)they glorified ^(FV)the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

^32 (FW)Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ^(FX)“I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” ³³ And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, ^(FY)“Seven, and a few small fish.” ³⁵ And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, ³⁶ he took the seven loaves and the fish, and ^(FZ)having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷ And ^(GA)they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ³⁸ Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of ^(GB)Magadan.

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

16 ^(GC)And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and ^(GD)to test him ^(GE)they asked him to show them ^(GF)a sign from heaven. ² He answered them,^{[p] (GG)}“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ ^(GH)You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret ^(GI)the signs of the times. ^4 (GJ)An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So ^(GK)he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵ When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^(GL)beware of ^(GM)the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” ⁸ But ^(GN)Jesus, aware of this, said, ^(GO)“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? ^9 (GP)Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember ^(GQ)the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹⁰ Or ^(GR)the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹¹ How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? ^(GS)Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ^12 (GT)Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of ^(GU)the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^13 (GV)Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say ^(GW)John the Baptist, others say ^(GX)Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, ^(GY)“You are ^(GZ)the Christ, ^(HA)the Son of ^(HB)the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, ^(HC)“Blessed are you, ^(HD)Simon Bar-Jonah! For ^(HE)flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^(HF)but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, ^(HG)you are Peter, and ^(HH)on this rock^[q] I will build my church, and ^(HI)the gates of ^(HJ)hell^[r] shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you ^(HK)the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^(HL)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[s] in heaven.” ^20 (HM)Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

^21 (HN)From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that ^(HO)he must go to Jerusalem and ^(HP)suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on ^(HQ)the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!^[t] This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, ^(HR)“Get behind me, Satan! You are ^(HS)a hindrance^[u] to me. For you ^(HT)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(HU)deny himself and ^(HV)take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For ^(HW)whoever would save his life^[v] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For ^(HX)what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or ^(HY)what shall a man give in return for his soul? ^27 (HZ)For the Son of Man is going to come with ^(IA)his angels in the glory of his Father, and ^(IB)then he will repay each person according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^(IC)taste death ^(ID)until they see the Son of Man ^(IE)coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

17 ^(IF)And after six days Jesus took with him ^(IG)Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was ^(IH)transfigured before them, and ^(II)his face shone like the sun, and ^(IJ)his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for ^(IK)Elijah.” ⁵ He was still speaking when, behold, ^(IL)a bright cloud overshadowed them, and ^(IM)a voice from the cloud said, ^(IN)“This is my beloved Son,^[w] with whom I am well pleased; ^(IO)listen to him.” ⁶ When ^(IP)the disciples heard this, ^(IQ)they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and ^(IR)touched them, saying, “Rise, and ^(IS)have no fear.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

^9 (IT)And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^(IU)“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” ¹⁰ And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say ^(IV)that first Elijah must come?” ¹¹ He answered, “Elijah does come, and ^(IW)he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but ^(IX)did to him whatever they pleased. ^(IY)So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” ^13 (IZ)Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

^14 (JA)And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, ¹⁵ said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has ^(JB)seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶ And I brought him to your disciples, and ^(JC)they could not heal him.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered, “O faithless and ^(JD)twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? ^(JE)How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus ^(JF)rebuked the demon,^[x] and it^[y] came out of him, and ^(JG)the boy was healed instantly.^{[z] 19} Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ He said to them, ^(JH)“Because of your little faith. For ^(JI)truly, I say to you, ^(JJ)if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, ^(JK)you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and ^(JL)nothing will be impossible for you.”^[aa]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^22 (JM)As they were gathering^[ab] in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on ^(JN)the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

^24 (JO)When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of ^(JP)the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ^(JQ)“What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or ^(JR)tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶ And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.^[ac] Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

18 ^(JS)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 ^(JT)turn and ^(JU)become like children, you ^(JV)will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ^4 (JW)Whoever humbles himself like this child is the ^(JX)greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

^5 (JY)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but ^(JZ)whoever causes one of these ^(KA)little ones who believe in me to sin,^[ad] 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 ^(KB)temptations to sin!^{[ae] (KC)}For it is necessary that temptations come, ^(KD)but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ^8 (KE)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 ^(KF)the eternal fire. ^9 (KG)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 ^(KH)hell^[af] of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise ^(KI)one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^(KJ)their angels always ^(KK)see the face of my Father who is in heaven.^{[ag] 12 (KL)}What do you think? ^(KM)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 ^(KN)it is not the will of my^[ah] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

^15 (KO)“If your brother sins against you, ^(KP)go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ^(KQ)gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established ^(KR)by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, ^(KS)tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^(KT)let him be to you as ^(KU)a Gentile and ^(KV)a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, ^(KW)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[ai] in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you ^(KX)agree on earth about anything they ask, ^(KY)it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are ^(KZ)gathered in my name, ^(LA)there am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often ^(LB)will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? ^(LC)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 ^(LD)to settle accounts with his servants.^{[aj] 24} When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ^(LE)ten thousand ^(LF)talents.^{[ak] 25 (LG)}And since he could not pay, his master ordered him ^(LH)to be sold, with his wife and ^(LI)children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant^{[al] (LJ)}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 ^(LK)forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred ^(LL)denarii,^[am] 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 (LM)And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ^34 (LN)And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,^{[an] (LO)}until he should pay all his debt. ^35 (LP)So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother ^(LQ)from your heart.”

Teaching About Divorce

19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from ^(LR)Galilee and ^(LS)entered ^(LT)the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² And ^(LU)large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³ And Pharisees came up to him and ^(LV)tested him by asking, ^(LW)“Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” ⁴ He answered, ^(LX)“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵ and said, ^(LY)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and ^(LZ)the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ^(MA)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” ⁷ They said to him, ^(MB)“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” ⁸ He said to them, “Because of your ^(MC)hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ^9 (MD)And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”^[ao]

¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” ¹¹ But he said to them, ^(ME)“Not everyone can receive this saying, but only ^(MF)those to ^(MG)whom it is given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs ^(MH)for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^13 (MI)Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples ^(MJ)rebuked the people, ¹⁴ but Jesus said, ^(MK)“Let the little children ^(ML)come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵ And he laid his hands on them and went away.

The Rich Young Man

^16 (MM)And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to ^(MN)have ^(MO)eternal life?” ¹⁷ And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. ^(MP)If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, ^(MQ)“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother, and, ^(MR)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to him, ^(MS)“All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you would be ^(MT)perfect, go, ^(MU)sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have ^(MV)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ^22 (MW)When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, ^(MX)only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. ^24 (MY)Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^(MZ)the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus ^(NA)looked at them and said, ^(NB)“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ²⁷ Then Peter said in reply, “See, ^(NC)we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,^{[ap] (ND)}when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me ^(NE)will also sit on twelve thrones, ^(NF)judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ^29 (NG)And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold^[aq] and will ^(NH)inherit eternal life.