1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2Jesus called a little child to him, and set the child in the middle of them,
3and said, "I tell you the truth, unless you are changed and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."
4"So whoever makes himself humble like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
5"And whoever welcomes one such little child in my name welcomes me."
6"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the deep sea."
7"How terrible for the world because of the things that make people stumble. Such things must come, but how terrible for the man through whom they come."
8"So if your hand or your foot makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life lame or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire."
9"And if your eye makes you stumble, pull it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."
10"Be careful that you do not look down on 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"For the Son of man has come to save what was lost."
12"What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go into the mountains to look for the one that wandered off?"
13"And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander away."
14"In the same way, your Father who is in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost."
15"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, just between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back."
16"But if he will not listen to you, take one or two others with you, so that every word may be settled by the mouth of two or three witnesses."
17"And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you like a heathen man and a tax collector."
18"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
19"Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven."
20"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am among them."
21Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."
23"So the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants."
24"When he had begun to settle them, one man was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents."
25"Since he had nothing to pay with, his lord ordered that he be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the payment be made."
26"So the servant fell down and bowed before him, saying, 'Lord, be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.'"
27"Then the lord of that servant was filled with compassion. He let him go and forgave him the debt."
28"But that same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred pence. He grabbed him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe.'"
29"His fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.'"
30"But he would not. He went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt."
31"When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very sad. They came and told their lord everything that had happened."
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"'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'"
34"And his lord was angry, and handed him over to the torturers until he should pay all that he owed."
35"So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your hearts for their sins against you."