Matthew 18:15-35

Christian Standard Bible

Restoring a Brother

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you,^[a] go tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.^{(A) 16} But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony^[b] of two or three witnesses every fact may be established.^{[c](B) 17} If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church.^[d](C) If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.^{(D) 18} Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound^[e] in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed^[f] in heaven.^{(E) 19} Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you^[g] pray for, it will be done for you^[h] by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

²¹ Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” ^(F)

²² “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.^[i]

²³ “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents^[j] was brought before him. ²⁵ Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.^(G)

²⁶ “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

²⁸ “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.^[k](H) He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’

²⁹ “At this, his fellow servant fell down^[l] and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. ³² Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’^{(I) 34} And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister^[m] from your heart.”^(J)