1 At that hour the disciples came up to Jesus and asked, "Who, then, is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2 Jesus called a little child over, stood him among them,
3 and said, "Truly I say to you, if you do not turn and become like little children, you will certainly not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 So whoever makes himself low like this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And anyone who welcomes one little child like this 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 donkey's millstone hung around his neck and to be sunk in the open sea.
7 Woe to the world on account of stumbling blocks! For stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom the stumbling block comes!
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the hell of fire.
10 Take care that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.
11 For the Son of Man came to save what was lost.
12 How does it seem to you? If some man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, will he not leave the ninety-nine, go into the mountains, and search for the one that is wandering?
13 And if he manages to find it, truly I say to you, he is happier over it than over the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that a single one of these little ones be lost.
15 Now if your brother sins against you, go and point out his fault to him privately, between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others with you, so that every matter may be confirmed on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
17 If he pays no attention to them, tell the church; and if he pays no attention even to the church, let him be to you just like the Gentile and the tax collector.
18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on the earth will stand bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will stand loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say to you that if two of you on earth are in agreement about any matter they request, it will be granted to them by my Father who is in heaven.
20 For where two or three have been gathered in my name, I am there in their midst."
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven?"
22 Jesus answered, "I am not telling you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
23 For this reason the kingdom of heaven has become like a man, a king, who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 As he started the reckoning, a man was brought to him who was in debt to him for ten thousand talents.
25 Because he had nothing with which to repay, his master ordered him to be sold along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned, and the debt to be repaid.
26 So the servant fell down and bowed before him, saying, 'Master, be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
27 The master of that servant, moved with compassion, set him free and canceled the loan for him.
28 But on his way out, that servant came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; he grabbed him and started to throttle him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe me!'
29 His fellow servant then fell at his feet and pleaded with him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
30 But he would not; instead he went off and had him thrown into prison until he repaid what was owed.
31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset, and they went and laid out for their master everything that had happened.
32 Then his master called him in and said to him, 'Wicked servant, I canceled that whole debt of yours because you begged me.
33 Ought you not to have shown mercy to your fellow servant as well, just as I showed mercy to you?'
34 And his master, in anger, handed him over to the tormentors until he paid back all that he owed.
35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat you too, unless each of you forgives his brother his offenses from your hearts."