Matthew 18 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Around that time the disciples came to Jesus, and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called over a small child. He had the child stand in front of them.
2 Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them
3 “I tell you the truth, unless you change the way you think and become like little children, you won't ever enter the kingdom of heaven,” he told them.
3 and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
4 “But whoever humbles themselves and becomes like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5 Whoever accepts a little child like this in my name accepts me.
5 Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
6 But anyone who makes one of these little ones who trust in me sin, it would be better for them to have a large millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a huge millstone were hung around his neck and that he were sunk in the depths of the sea.
7 What a disaster is coming on the world for all its temptations to sin! Temptations will surely come, but it will be a disaster for the person through whom the temptation comes!
7 “Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It's better for you to enter eternal life crippled or lame rather than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into eternal fire.
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
9 If your eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away. It's better for you to enter eternal life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the fire of Gehenna.
9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
10 Make sure you don't look down on these little ones. I tell you that in heaven their angels are always with my heavenly Father.
10 See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
11 Not in this translation
11 For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
12 What do you think about this? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders off, won't he leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that's wandered away?
12 “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?
13 And if he finds it, I tell you he really rejoices over that sheep more than the ninety-nine that didn't wander away.
13 If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
14 In the same way my heavenly Father does not want any of these little ones to be lost.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
15 If a brother sins against you, go and point out the wrong to him, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you've won your brother over.
15 “If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.
16 But if he doesn't listen, then take one or two more people with you, so that by two or three witnesses the truth can be confirmed.
16 But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 If, however, he refuses to listen to them, then tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church as well, then treat him as a foreigner and a tax collector.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.
18 I tell you the truth, whatever you ban on earth will have been banned in heaven, and whatever you allow on earth will have been allowed in heaven.
18 Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
19 I also tell you that if two of you agree here on earth about something you're praying for, then my heavenly Father will do it for you.
19 Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
20 For where two or three gather together in my name, I'm there with them.”
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”
21 Peter came to Jesus and asked him, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother for sinning against me? Seven times?”
21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times. I would say seventy times seven!” Jesus told him.
22 Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
23 “This is why the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with those servants who owed him money.
23 Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 As he began to settle accounts, one servant was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
24 When he had begun to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 Since he didn't have the money to pay, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all his possessions, so that the debt could be paid back.
25 But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant fell down on his knees and said to his master, ‘Please be patient with me! I will pay everything back!’
26 The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’
27 The master took pity on the servant, released him, and canceled the debt.
27 The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.
28 But when that same servant went out he found one of his fellow-servants who owed him just a hundred denarii. He grabbed him by the neck and choked him, saying, ‘Pay me back what you owe me!’
28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
29 His fellow-servant threw himself down at the man's feet and begged him, ‘Please be patient with me! I will pay you back!’
29 “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’
30 But the man refused, and went and threw his fellow-servant into prison until he paid back what he owed.
30 He would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay back that which was due.
31 When the other servants saw what took place they were shocked and upset. They went and told their master everything that had happened.
31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done.
32 Then the master called the man back in and told him, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you all your debt because you begged me to.
32 Then his lord called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
33 Shouldn't you have been merciful to your fellow-servant as well, just as I was merciful to you?’
33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’
34 His master became angry and handed him over to the jailors until he had repaid all the debt.
34 His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him.
35 This is what my heavenly Father will do to every one of you unless you sincerely forgive your brothers.”
35 So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”
Cross references (34)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Mark 9:33–37; Luke 9:46–48; Matthew 20:20–28; Luke 22:24–27; Philippians 2:3
- 2 Matthew 19:13–14; Mark 9:36–37; 1 Kings 3:7; Jeremiah 1:7
- 3 Mark 10:14–15; 1 Peter 2:2; Matthew 19:14; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Luke 18:16–17
- 4 James 4:10; Mark 10:43; Luke 14:11; Luke 9:48; Matthew 23:11–12
- 5 Matthew 25:40; John 13:20; Mark 9:37; Galatians 4:14; Luke 17:1–2
- 6 Mark 9:42; Luke 17:1–2; Matthew 18:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:6–9; Matthew 18:14
- 7 Luke 17:1; 1 Corinthians 11:19; Matthew 26:24; 1 Timothy 4:1–3; Jude 4
- 8 Matthew 5:29–30; Philippians 3:8–9; Romans 13:12; Luke 18:22–23; Ezekiel 18:31
- 9 Acts 14:22; Matthew 18:8; Revelation 21:27; Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:29
- 10 Psalm 91:11; Psalm 34:7; Hebrews 1:14; Luke 16:22; Acts 12:7–11
- 12 Ezekiel 34:12; Luke 15:4–7; Ezekiel 34:16; Isaiah 53:6; Ezekiel 34:28
- 13 Luke 15:5–10; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 147:11; Luke 15:23–24; John 4:34–36
- 14 John 17:12; 2 Peter 3:9; John 6:39–40; John 10:27–30; Isaiah 40:11
- 15 Leviticus 19:17; Galatians 6:1; Luke 17:3–4; 2 Thessalonians 3:15; Colossians 3:13
- 16 Deuteronomy 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1; John 8:17; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28
- 17 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 5:9–6:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15; 1 Corinthians 5:3–5; 2 John 10–11
- 18 Matthew 16:19; 2 Corinthians 2:10; John 20:23; 1 Corinthians 5:4–5; Revelation 3:7–8
- 19 Matthew 7:7; 1 John 5:14–16; Mark 11:24; John 14:13–14; Philippians 1:19
- 20 1 Corinthians 5:4; Revelation 21:3; Matthew 28:20; Zechariah 2:5; John 20:26
- 21 Luke 17:3–4; Matthew 18:15
- 22 Colossians 3:13; Mark 11:25; Genesis 4:24; Ephesians 4:31–5:1; Matthew 6:14–15
- 23 Romans 14:12; Matthew 13:24; Matthew 3:2; Matthew 13:44–45; Matthew 13:47
- 24 Psalm 38:4; Psalm 130:3–4; Psalm 40:12; Luke 13:4; Luke 16:5
- 25 Nehemiah 5:5; 2 Kings 4:1; Luke 7:42; Leviticus 25:39; Nehemiah 5:8
- 26 Matthew 18:29; Luke 7:43; Matthew 8:2; Romans 10:3
- 27 Psalm 145:8; Psalm 86:15; Psalm 86:5; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 78:38
- 28 Ezekiel 45:9; Matthew 20:2; Deuteronomy 15:2; Isaiah 58:3; Nehemiah 5:10–11
- 29 Matthew 6:12; Matthew 18:26; Philemon 18–19
- 30 1 Kings 22:27; 1 Kings 21:27–29
- 31 Romans 12:15; Hebrews 13:3; Mark 3:5; Jeremiah 9:1; Hebrews 13:17
- 32 Romans 3:19; Luke 19:22; Matthew 25:26
- 33 Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32–5:2; Matthew 6:12; Luke 6:35–36; Matthew 5:44–45
- 34 James 2:13; Matthew 5:25–26; Luke 12:58–59; 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9; Revelation 14:10–11
- 35 Matthew 6:14–15; James 2:13; Luke 6:37–38; Mark 11:25; Matthew 6:12
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The divine lessons, which we have just heard as they were being read, warn us to gather in a stock of virtues, to fortify a Christian heart, against the offences which were predicted to come, and this from the mercy of the Lord.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
"And if it must needs be that offenses come,'" (some one of our adversaries may perchance say), "why doth He lament over the world, when He ought rather to afford succor, and to stretch forth His hand in its behalf?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
The diverse sounds (he adds) are those which give form to that Æon who is without material substance and unbegotten, and these, again, are the forms which the Lord has called angels, who continually behold the face of the Father.
Let them praise Thy Name,--those super-celestial people, Thine angels, who have no need to look up at this firmament, or by reading to attain the knowledge of Thy Word,--let them praise Thee. For they always behold Thy face, and therein read without any syllables in time what Thy eternal will willeth.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
How then doth He say elsewhere, "Reprove, rebuke, exhort," and, "Them that sin rebuke before all?" And Christ too to Peter, "Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone," and if he neglect to hear, add to thyself another also; and if not even so doth he yield, declare it to the church likewise?" And how hath …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)