1 ARST Immediately after that, the apprentices came to Jesus. They asked him,“So then, who will be the most important people in God’ s heavenly kingdom?” BSB BSB: At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 ARST Jesus told a young child to come to him. He had the young child stand among them. BSB BSB: Jesus invited a little child to stand among them.
3 ARST Then he told them,“You need to change so that you are like young children. That is the only way to participate in God’ s heavenly kingdom. What I have said is true. BSB BSB: “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 ARST So then, consider people who make themselves less important, so that they are as unimportant as this young child. It is those people who are the most important in God’ s heavenly kingdom. BSB BSB: Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 ARST Further, when people, because they are my apprentices, welcome a young child such as this one here, it is the same as welcoming me. BSB BSB: And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.
6 ARST On the other hand, suppose that an insignificant person who trusts me sinned because of certain people.{ God will punish those people so severely that} they would prefer to have someone tie a heavy stone around their necks and drop them into the middle of the ocean. BSB BSB: But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 ARST How terrible it will be for people in this world because of the things that cause them to sin! Now those things have to exist. However, how terrible it will be for the people who cause those things to exist! BSB BSB: Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
8 ARST Suppose that you sinned because you touched something or went somewhere. You should never do that again, even if you have to chop off your hands or your feet to make sure of it!{ You should respond that drastically because} it is better for you to truly live without hands or feet than to have both hands and feet but end up in hell. BSB BSB: If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
9 ARST Suppose that you sinned because you looked at something. You should never do that again, even if you have to remove your eyes to make sure of it!{ You should respond that drastically because} it is better for you to truly live with only one eye than to have both eyes but end up in hell. BSB BSB: And if your eye causes you to sin, 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.
10 ARST Do not consider even one insignificant person{ who trusts me} to be unimportant. In fact, I want you to know that the angels that protect them are in heaven. They are continually with God my Father, who rules from heaven. BSB BSB: See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
11 ARST I, the Son of Man, am here to rescue people who do not worship and obey God. BSB BSB: Not in the BSB
12 ARST Think about this situation: A man owns 100 sheep, but one of them wanders away. The man will most certainly leave the 99 other sheep on the side of a hill by themselves and search for the one sheep that wandered away! BSB BSB: What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?
13 ARST Now suppose that he found the one sheep that wandered away. He would be much happier about this one sheep than about the 99 other sheep that did not wander away. What I have said is true! BSB BSB: And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
14 ARST God your Father, who rules from heaven, is like that man. He does not want even one unsignificant person{ who trusts me} to end up in hell. BSB BSB: In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
15 ARST Suppose that fellow believers sin against you. You should visit them and privately tell them what they did wrong. Suppose that they accept what you say. In that case, you have made things right with your fellow believers. BSB BSB: If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16 ARST However, suppose that those fellow believers do not accept what you say. In that case, bring one or two other believers with you{ when you visit them again to tell them what they did wrong}. That way,{ you are doing what Moses wrote in the law, that} two or three people must confirm what someone says. BSB BSB: But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
17 ARST Suppose that those fellow believers reject what the people you brought with you say. In that case, tell the whole group of believers{ about what happened}. Finally, suppose that those fellow believers reject what the group of believers says. In that case, treat those fellow believers as if they were{ unbelieving} non- Jews or people who collect taxes.{ Do not treat them as fellow believers any longer.} BSB BSB: If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 ARST When you confirm anything here on earth, God will confirm it in heaven. When you nullify anything here on earth, God will nullify it in heaven. What I have said is true! BSB BSB: Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 ARST Also, when at least two of you here on earth together request the same thing, God my Father, who rules from heaven, will do whatever it is that you request. What I have said is true! BSB BSB: Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.
20 ARST { God will do that} because I am spiritually present whenever at least two or three of you come together as my apprentices.” BSB BSB: For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”
21 ARST After that, Peter came to Jesus and asked,“My Lord, how many times do I need to forgive fellow believers when they keep sinning against me?{ Do I need to forgive them} as many as seven times?” BSB BSB: Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 ARST Jesus replied,“I tell you that you must forgive others 77 times{ and more}, not just seven times.” BSB BSB: Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!
23 ARST Given what I have told you, here is what God’ s heavenly kingdom is like: a king wished to have his servants pay him what they owed him. BSB BSB: Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 ARST So, the king began to find out{ what his servants owed him}. Someone led in a servant who owed the king an extremely large sum of money. BSB BSB: As he began the settlements, a debtor owing ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 ARST However, the servant did not have enough money to pay what he owed. So, the king told his men,‘Sell as slaves the servant, the servant’ s wife, and the servant’ s children. Also, sell anything that the servant owns. Then, give me the money that you received.’ BSB BSB: Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.
26 ARST After he heard that, the servant knelt down in front of the king. He begged him,‘My lord, please wait patiently. I will eventually pay all the money that I owe.’ BSB BSB: Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
27 ARST The king pitied his servant. So, he did not require the servant to pay what he owed, and he let him go. BSB BSB: His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him.
28 ARST When the servant left the king, he noticed another servant who owed him only 100 small coins. He grabbed that servant{ around the throat} and began to squeeze it. He demanded,‘Pay me the money that you owe!’ BSB BSB: But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
29 ARST After he heard that, the other servant knelt down{ before him}. He begged him,‘Please wait patiently. I will eventually pay{ the money that I owe}.’ BSB BSB: So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’
30 ARST However, that servant did not want{ to wait}. When he left that place, he had someone put the other servant in jail and keep him there until he paid the money that he owed. BSB BSB: But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.
31 ARST When the rest of the servants learned what that servant had done, they became very sad. They went to the king and told him about everything that the servant had done. BSB BSB: When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and recounted all of this to their master.
32 ARST After that, the king told that servant to come to him. The king told him,‘You are an evil servant! Since you asked me{ to wait patiently}, I did not require you to pay any of what you owed. BSB BSB: Then the master summoned him and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me.
33 ARST I helped you. So, you should have helped the other servant.’ BSB BSB: Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’
34 ARST Then the king was angry. He had his men arrest and torture that servant until he paid all the money that he owed. BSB BSB: In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.
35 ARST Whenever any of you do not completely forgive a fellow believer, God my Father, who rules from heaven, will do to you what{ that king did to his servant}.” BSB BSB: That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”