God’s Mercy and Judgment

1 The ^[a]burden ^(A)against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

God’s Wrath on His Enemies

Who Is the Greatest?^(A)

18 At ^(B)that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² Then Jesus called a little ^(C)child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(D)unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ^4 (E)Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ^5 (F)Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Jesus Warns of Offenses^(G)

^6 (H)“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of ^[a]offenses! For ^(I)offenses must come, but ^(J)woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

^8 (K)“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into ^[b]hell fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep^(L)

¹⁰ “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven ^(M)their angels always ^(N)see the face of My Father who is in heaven. ^11 (O)For^[c] the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

^12 (P)“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? ¹³ And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. ¹⁴ Even so it is not the ^(Q)will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Dealing with a Sinning Brother

¹⁵ “Moreover ^(R)if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, ^(S)you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ^(T)‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ ¹⁷ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a ^(U)heathen and a tax collector.

¹⁸ “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(V)whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

^19 (W)“Again^[d] I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, ^(X)it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

At Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and ^(A)John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and ^(B)went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵ And ^(C)after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have ^(D)any word of ^[a]exhortation for the people, say on.”

¹⁶ Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and ^(E)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people ^[b]Israel ^(F)chose our fathers, and exalted the people ^(G)when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with ^[c]an uplifted arm He ^(H)brought them out of it. ¹⁸ Now ^(I)for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And when He had destroyed ^(J)seven nations in the land of Canaan, ^(K)He distributed their land to them by allotment.

²⁰ “After that ^(L)He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, ^(M)until Samuel the prophet. ^21 (N)And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them ^(O)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And ^(P)when He had removed him, ^(Q)He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ^(R)‘I have found David the son of Jesse, ^(S)a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ ^23 (T)From this man’s seed, according ^(U)to the promise, God raised up for Israel ^(V)a^[d] Savior—Jesus— ^24 (W)after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ^(X)‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, ^(Y)there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

²⁶ “Men and brethren, sons of the ^[e]family of Abraham, and ^(Z)those among you who fear God, ^(AA)to you the ^[f]word of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, ^(AB)because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. ^28 (AC)And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. ^29 (AD)Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, ^(AE)they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ^30 (AF)But God raised Him from the dead. ^31 (AG)He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. ³² And we declare to you glad tidings—^(AH)that promise which was made to the fathers. ³³ God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to ^[g]corruption, He has spoken thus:

³⁵ Therefore He also says in another Psalm:

³⁶ “For David, after he had served ^[i]his own generation by the will of God, ^(AL)fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and ^[j]saw corruption; ³⁷ but He whom God raised up ^[k]saw no corruption. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that ^(AM)through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; ³⁹ and ^(AN)by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: