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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Matthew 18 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/matthew/18.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/matthew/18-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</a> > Matthew 18</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../matthew/17.htm" title="Matthew 17">◄</a> Matthew 18 <a href="../matthew/19.htm" title="Matthew 19">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/matthew/18.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="sectionhead">The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>And he said: <span class="red">“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span><span class="red">Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span><span class="red">And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.</span></p> <p class="sectionhead">Causing to Stumble</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span><span class="red">“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.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span><span class="red">Woe 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!</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span><span class="red">If 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.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span><span class="red">And 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.</span></p> <p class="sectionhead">The Parable of the Wandering Sheep</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span><span class="red">“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.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-11.htm"><b>[11]</b></a></span> <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10.">a</a></sup></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span><span class="red">“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?</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span><span class="red">And 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.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span><span class="red">In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.</span></p> <p class="sectionhead">Dealing With Sin in the Church</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span><span class="red">“If your brother or sister <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verses 21 and 35.">b</a></sup></span> sins, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Some manuscripts sins against you">c</a></sup></span> go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span><span class="red">But 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.’ <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Deut. 19:15">d</a></sup></span> </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span><span class="red">If 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.</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span><span class="red">“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or will have been">e</a></sup></span> bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or will have been">f</a></sup></span> loosed in heaven.</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span><span class="red">“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.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span><span class="red">For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”</span></p> <p class="sectionhead">The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Then 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?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>Jesus answered, <span class="red">“I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or seventy times seven">g</a></sup></span> </span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span><span class="red">“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span><span class="red">As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer's wages.">h</a></sup></span> was brought to him.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span><span class="red">Since 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.</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span><span class="red">“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span><span class="red">The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span><span class="red">“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Greek a hundred denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2).">i</a></sup></span> He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span><span class="red">“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span><span class="red">“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span><span class="red">When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span><span class="red">“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span><span class="red">Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span><span class="red">In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.</span></p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span><span class="red">“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”</span></p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">11</span> <span class="footnotebot">Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">15</span> <span class="footnotebot">The Greek word for <i>brother or sister</i> (<i>adelphos</i>) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verses 21 and 35.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">15</span> <span class="footnotebot">Some manuscripts <i>sins against you</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">16</span> <span class="footnotebot">Deut. 19:15</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">e</span> <span class="fnverse">18</span> <span class="footnotebot">Or <i>will have been</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">f</span> <span class="fnverse">18</span> <span class="footnotebot">Or <i>will have been</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">g</span> <span class="fnverse">22</span> <span class="footnotebot">Or <i>seventy times seven</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">h</span> <span class="fnverse">24</span> <span class="footnotebot">Greek <i>ten thousand talents</i>; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">i</span> <span class="fnverse">28</span> <span class="footnotebot">Greek <i>a hundred denarii</i>; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2).</span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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