1 At that hour the disciples came near to Jesus, saying, “Who, now, is greater in the kingdom of the heavens?” 2 And Jesus having called near a child, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, if you may not be turned and become as the children, you may not enter into the kingdom of the heavens; 4 whoever then may humble himself as this child, he is the greater in the kingdom of the heavens. 5 And he who may receive one such child in My Name, receives Me, 6 and whoever may cause to stumble one of those little ones who are believing in Me, it is better for him that a weighty millstone may be hanged on his neck, and he may be sunk in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world from the stumbling-blocks! For there is necessity for the stumbling-blocks to come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling-block comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut them off and cast [them] from you; it is good for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the continuous fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast from you; it is good for you to enter into life one-eyed, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. 10 Beware! You may not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their messengers in the heavens always behold the face of My Father who is in the heavens, 11 [[for the Son of Man came to save the lost.]] 12 What do you think? If a man may have one hundred sheep, and there may go astray one of them, does he not—having left the ninety-nine, having gone on the mountains—seek that which is gone astray? 13 And if it may come to pass that he finds it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray; 14 so it is not [the] will in [the] presence of your Father who is in the heavens that one of these little ones may perish. 15 And if your brother may sin against you, go and show him his fault between you and him alone, if he may hear you, you gained your brother; 16 and if he may not hear, take with you yet one or two, that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may stand. 17 And if he may not hear them, say [it] to the assembly, and if also the assembly he may not hear, let him be to you as the heathen man and the tax collector. 18 Truly I say to you, whatever things you may bind on the earth will be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things you may loose on the earth will be having been loosed in the heavens. 19 Again, I say to you that if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask—it will be done to them from My Father who is in the heavens, 20 for where there are two or three gathered together—to My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” 21 Then Peter having come near to Him, said, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him—until seven times?” 22 Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you until seven times, but until seventy times seven. 23 Because of this was the kingdom of the heavens likened to a man, a king, who willed to take reckoning with his servants, 24 and he having begun to take account, there was brought near to him one debtor of a myriad of talents, 25 and he having nothing to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and the children, and all, whatever he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant then, having fallen down, was prostrating to him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you all; 27 and the lord of that servant having been moved with compassion released him, and the debt he forgave him. 28 And that servant having come forth, found one of his fellow-servants who was owing him one hundred denarii, and having laid hold, he took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that which you owe. 29 His fellow-servant then, having fallen down at his feet, was calling on him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you all; 30 and he would not, but having gone away, he cast him into prison, until he might pay that which was owing. 31 And his fellow-servants having seen the things that were done, were grieved exceedingly, and having come, showed fully to their lord all the things that were done; 32 then having called him, his lord says to him, Evil servant! All that debt I forgave you, seeing you called on me; 33 did it not seem necessary to you to have dealt kindly with your fellow servant, as I also dealt kindly with you? 34 And having been angry, his lord delivered him to the inquisitors, until he might pay all that was owing to him; 35 so also My heavenly Father will do to you, if you may not forgive each one his brother from your hearts their trespasses.”
Matthew · Literal Standard Version
Matthew 18 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
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)