Matthew 12:12-19:2 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

BSB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹² How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. ¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all, ¹⁶ warning them not to make Him known. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁸ “Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. ²⁰ A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. ²¹ In His name the nations will put their hope.” ²² Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see. ²³ The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?” ²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.” ²⁵ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. ³⁰ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. ³¹ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come. ³³ Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. ³⁶ But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” ³⁹ Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here. ⁴³ When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there; and the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.” ⁴⁶ While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. ⁴⁷ Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.” ⁴⁸ But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” ¹³ ¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. ² Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear.” ¹⁰ Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” ¹¹ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ ¹⁴ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. ¹⁸ Consider, then, the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²² The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²³ But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” ²⁴ Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ²⁸ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ²⁹ ‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’” ³¹ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. ³² Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” ³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.” ³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.” ³⁶ Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” ³⁷ He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰ As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. ⁴² And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. ⁴⁴ The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field. ⁴⁵ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it. ⁴⁷ Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous, ⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁵¹ Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. ⁵² Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” ⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from that place. ⁵⁴ Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” ⁵⁸ And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief. ¹⁴ ¹ At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus ² and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” ³ Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, ⁴ because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet. ⁶ On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod ⁷ so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted ¹⁰ and sent to have John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ John’s head was brought in on a platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother. ¹² Then John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. And they went and informed Jesus. ¹³ When Jesus heard about John, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. But the crowds found out about it and followed Him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When He stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” ¹⁶ “They do not need to go away,” Jesus replied. “You give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. ¹⁸ “Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said. ¹⁹ And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ About five thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children. ²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. ²³ After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, ²⁴ but the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. ²⁵ During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷ But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ “Come,” said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” ³² And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!” ³⁴ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding region. People brought all the sick to Him ³⁶ and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed. ¹⁵ ¹ Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.” ³ Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ ⁶ he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: ⁸ ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. ⁹ They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’” ¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.” ¹² Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” ¹³ But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. ¹⁴ Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ “Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. ¹⁷ “Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.” ²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” ²³ But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said. ²⁶ But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” ²⁸ “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. ²⁹ Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down. ³⁰ Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them. ³¹ The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. ³² Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.” ³³ The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?” ³⁴ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” ³⁵ And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ A total of four thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children. ³⁹ After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. ¹⁶ ¹ Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. ² But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’ ³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times. ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away. ⁵ When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread. ⁶ “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.” ⁸ Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹ How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. ²¹ From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²² Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” ²³ But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” ²⁴ Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” ¹⁷ ¹ After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. ⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror. ⁷ Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.” ⁸ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. ⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” ¹⁰ The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹¹ Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist. ¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.” ¹⁷ “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” ¹⁸ Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. ¹⁹ Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” ²⁰ “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ²¹ ²² When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. ²³ They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved. ²⁴ After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?” ²⁵ “Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?” ²⁶ “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus declared. ²⁷ “But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.” ¹⁸ ¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. ³ “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. ⁶ 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 Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! ⁸ 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 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 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 ¹² 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 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 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵ If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶ 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 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 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 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 For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.” ²¹ 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 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! ²³ Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. ²⁵ 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 Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him. ²⁸ 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 So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and recounted all of this to their master. ³² Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. ³⁵ That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” ¹⁹ ¹ When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.