Matthew 18 :: New International Version (NIV)

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

(Mar 9:33–37; Luk 9:46–48 )

Mat 18:1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Mat 18:2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.

Mat 18:3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 18:4

Mat 18:4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 18:5

Mat 18:5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Causing to Stumble

(Mar 9:42–48; Luk 17:1, 2 )

Mat 18:6

Mat 18:6“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.

Mat 18:7

Mat 18:7Woe 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!

Mat 18:8

Mat 18:8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, 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.

Mat 18:9

Mat 18:9And if your eye causes you to stumble, 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.

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

(Luk 15:1–7 )

Mat 18:10

Mat 18:10“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.[fn]

Mat 18:11

Mat 18:11 See Footnote

Mat 18:12

Mat 18:12“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?

Mat 18:13

Mat 18:13And 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.

Mat 18:14

Mat 18:14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Dealing With Sin in the Church

Mat 18:15

Mat 18:15“If your brother or sister[fn] sins,[fn] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

Mat 18:16

Mat 18:16But 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.’[fn]

Mat 18:17

Mat 18:17If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Mat 18:18

Mat 18:18“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[fn] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[fn] loosed in heaven.

Mat 18:19

Mat 18:19“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

Mat 18:20

Mat 18:20For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Mat 18:21

Mat 18:21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Mat 18:22

Mat 18:22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[fn]

Mat 18:23

Mat 18:23“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

Mat 18:24

Mat 18:24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[fn] was brought to him.

Mat 18:25

Mat 18:25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

Mat 18:26

Mat 18:26“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

Mat 18:27

Mat 18:27The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

Mat 18:28

Mat 18:28“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[fn] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

Mat 18:29

Mat 18:29“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

Mat 18:30

Mat 18:30“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

Mat 18:31

Mat 18:31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Mat 18:32

Mat 18:32“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

Mat 18:33

Mat 18:33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

Mat 18:34

Mat 18:34In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Mat 18:35

Mat 18:35“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NIV Footnotes

(18:11)

Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10.

(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.

(18:15)

Some manuscripts sins against you

Or will have been

Or will have been

Or seventy times seven

(18:24)

Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.

(18:28)

Greek a hundred denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2).

BLB Footnotes

(18:11)

Some Greek manuscripts exclude this verse. The NIV related footnote for 18:10 states:
Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10.

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