Matthew 18
18
The Most Important Person in the Kingdom
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2Jesus called a little child over and had them stand in the middle of the group. 3Jesus then said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you’ll never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Whoever becomes humble like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And anyone who welcomes a child like this one in my name welcomes me.
Don’t Cause People to Sin
6“But what if someone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin? It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around their neck and drown at the bottom. 7Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Things like that must come. Woe to the person who causes them! 8If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter life with only one hand or foot than to go with two hands or two feet into hell, where the fire burns forever. 9If your eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter life with one eye than to be thrown into the fire of hell with two eyes.
The Story of the Lost Sheep
10-11“Make sure you don’t look down on one of these little ones. I tell you, their angels in heaven see face to face my Father who is in heaven.
12“What do you think? Suppose a man owns 100 sheep and one of them wanders away. Won’t he leave the 99 sheep on the hills and go look for the one that wandered off? 13Truly I tell you, if he finds that sheep, he’ll be happier about it than about the 99 that didn’t wander off. 14It’s the same with your Father in heaven. He doesn’t want any of these little ones to be lost.
When Someone Sins Against You
15“If your brother or sister sins against you, go and tell them privately what they’ve done wrong. If they listen to you, you’ve won them back. 16But if they won’t listen to you, return with one or two others. Scripture says, ‘Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.’ 17If they still refuse to listen, then tell it to the community of believers. And if they refuse to listen even to the community, then treat them the way you would treat an unbeliever or a traitor.
18“Truly I tell you, what you tie up on earth will be tied up in heaven, and what you set free on earth will be set free in heaven.
19“Again, I tell you truly, if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.”
The Servant Who Had No Mercy
21Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times should I forgive a brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22Jesus answered, “Not seven times, I tell you, but 77 times.
23“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to collect all the money his servants owed him. 24First, they brought him a man who owed 10,000 bags of gold. 25Since he wasn’t able to pay, his master ordered the man, his wife, his children, and everything he owned to be sold to pay back the debt.
26“Then the servant got down on his knees in front of him. ‘Give me time,’ he begged, ‘and I’ll pay everything back.’ 27His master felt sorry for him, so he forgave him what he owed and let him go.
28“But then that servant went out and found another servant, who owed him 100 silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29“The other servant got down on his knees. ‘Give me time,’ he begged him, ‘and I’ll pay it back.’
30“But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he paid back what he owed. 31When the other servants saw this, it made them very angry. They went and told their master everything that had happened.
32“Then the master called the first servant back in. ‘You ungrateful servant,’ he said. ‘I forgave you everything you owed because you begged me to. 33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on the other servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34The master was so angry that handed him over to the jailers to be punished until he paid back everything he owed.
35“That’s how my Father in heaven will treat each of you if you don’t forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
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Mattityahu 18
18
1At that time, the talmidim approached Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach with this she'elah saying, Who then is greatest in the Malchut HaShomayim?
2And having called a yeled to himself, he set him before them,
3and said, Omein, I say to you, unless you change inwardly and have a complete turn around and become like yeladim, you shall never enter the Malchut HaShomayim.
4Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this yeled, he is the greatest in the Malchut HaShomayim.
5And whoever receives one such yeled in my Name receives me.#18:5 Moshiach
6But whoever causes a michshol (stumbling block) for one of these little ones, who have emunah in me, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7Oy lOlam (Woe to the World) because of its michsholim (stumbling blocks)! For it is inevitable that michsholim come; but oy to that man through whom the michshol comes.
8And if your hand or your foot causes a michshol for you, cut it off, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter Chayyim crippled or as one of the pisechim (lame), than, having two hands and two feet, to be cast into the Eish Olam (Eternal Fire).
9And if your eye causes a michshol for you, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter Chayyim one-eyed than, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehinnom HaEish.
10See to it that you do not look down on one of these little ones, for I say to you that their malachim which are in Shomayim continually behold the face of Avi shbaShomayim (my Father who is in Heaven).
11For the Bar Enosh#18:11 Moshiach came to save that which was lost.
12What do you think? If any man owns a hundred kevesim (sheep) and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go and search for the one that is straying?
13And if it turns out that he finds it, beemes I say to you, he has more simcha (joy) over it than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
14Thus it is not the ratzon Hashem, the will of your Av shbaShomayim, that one of these little ones perish.
15And if your Ach b'Moshiach sins against you, go and reprove him in private, just between the two of you; if he listens to you, you have gained your Ach b'Moshiach.
16But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more Achim b'Moshiach with you, so that by the PI SHNAYIM SHLOSHAH EDIM#18:16 Dt 19:15 (by the mouth of two or three witnesses) every word shall be established.
17But if he refuses to listen to them, speak to the shtiebel kehillah, and if he even refuses to hear the kehillah, let him be to you as the Goy (heathen, pagan) and the moches (tax-collector).
18Omein, I say to you, whatever you bind as asur (prohibited) on haaretz will have been bound in Shomayim, and whatever you permit as mutar on haaretz is mutar (permitted) in Shomayim.
19Again, omein, I say to you, that if two of you will be in agreement about anything on haaretz that you petition for, it will be done for them by Avi shbaShomayim.
20For where two or three are gathered as a Chavurah and are a Kehillah in my name,#18:20 Moshiach there I am in the midst of them.
21Then, having approached, Kefa said to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach: Adoni, how often will my brother sin against me and I will grant to him selicha (forgiveness)? As many as shevah (seven) times?
22Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to Kefa, I do not say to you as many as shevah, but as many as shivim (seventy) times shevah.
23Therefore, the Malchut HaShomayim is like a melech, a king, who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
24And having begun to settle accounts, a debtor owing ten thousand talents (i.e., 60,000,000 denarii) was brought to the melech.
25And, as this debtor did not have the means to pay what was owed his adon, the king commanded that he and his wife and children and everything he possessed be sold and the debt repaid.
26Therefore, crying out for rachamim (mercy) and falling down before him, the servant said, Have savlanut (patience) with me and I will pay back to you everything!
27And out of rachamanut (compassion), the adon of that servant pardoned him and forgave the choiv (debt).
28Then the debtor went out and found one of the other fellow servants who happened to owe the debtor one hundred denarii. And seizing and choking the servant, the debtor said, Repay what you owe me!
29And, falling down, the servant said to the debtor, Have savlanut (patience) with me and I will repay you.
30But the debtor was not willing. Then the debtor went and threw the servant into the beit hasohar (prison) until he should repay the debt.
31Therefore, when the manʼs fellow servants saw what had taken place, great was their agmat nefesh (grief), and they went and reported to their adon all that had taken place.
32Then having summoned the debtor, his adon said to him, Wicked servant, all that choiv (debt) I forgave you, because you begged me.
33Was it not necessary also for you to have rachamim (mercy) upon your fellow servant?
34And in charon af (wrath), his adon handed the debtor over to the keepers of the beit hasohar until the debtor should repay the entire choiv (debt).
35Thus also Avi shbaShomayim will do to you, unless you grant selicha (forgiveness), each one to his brother from your lev (heart).
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