Matthew 18:1-21:46 At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Then which one is the greater in the kingdom of the heavens?

Godbey⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Then which one is the greater in the kingdom of the heavens? ² And Jesus calling a little child to Him, placed it in the midst of them, ³ and said, Truly I say unto you, unless you may be converted, and become as little children, you can not enter into the kingdom of the heavens. ⁴ Therefore whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greater in the kingdom of the heavens; ⁵ and whosoever shall receive such little child in my name, receives me. ⁶ But whosoever may offend one of these little ones, who believe in me, it is good for him that a millstone may be hanged to his neck, and he may be drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe unto the world on account of offensives, for it is necessary that offensives come; but woe unto that man through whom the offense comes! ⁸ If thy hand or thy foot offends thee, cut them off and cast them from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into eternal fire. ⁹ And if thine eye offend thee, cast it from thee: it is good for thee having one eye entering into life, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of the fire. ¹⁰ See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that their angels in heaven do always behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens. ¹¹ OMITTED TEXT ¹² What seems to you? if there may be a hundred sheep to one man, and one of them may go astray, does he not, leaving the ninety and nine, going to the mountains, seek that which has gone astray? ¹³ And if it maybe that he finds it, truly I say unto you, that he rejoiceth more over it than over the ninety and nine that went not astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of your Father who is in the heavens, that one of these little ones may perish. ¹⁵ But if thy brother may sin, go, and convict him between thee and him alone: if he may hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother: ¹⁶ if he may not hear thee, take with thyself one or two, in order that in the mouth of two or three witnesses the word may stand. ¹⁷ But if he may not hear them, tell the church: and if indeed he may not hear the church, let him be to thee as a heathen and publican. ¹⁸ Truly I say unto you, that whatsoever things you may bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever things you may loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say unto you, that if two of you may agree upon the earth concerning everything which you may ask, it shall be done unto you by my Father, who is in the heavens. ²⁰ For where two or three are assembled in my name, there I am in the midst of them. ²¹ Then Peter, coming to Him, said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? ²² Jesus says to him, I say not unto thee, Until seven time; but Until seventy times seven. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of the heavens is like unto a kingly man, who wished to make a reckoning with his servants. ²⁴ And he beginning to reckon, one was brought to him owing him myriads of talents. ²⁵ And he not having wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all things so many as he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ Then that servant falling down, continued to worship him, saying, Be patient with me, and I will pay you all. ²⁷ The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, sent him away, and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ And that servant having gone out, found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him one hundred denaria: seized him, throttled him, saying, Pay me what you owe me. ²⁹ Then his fellow-servant falling down, continued to intreat him, saying, Be patient with me and I will pay thee. ³⁰ And he was not willing: but having gone away he cast him into prison, until he could pay that which was owing. ³¹ Then his fellow-servants seeing those things which had taken place, were grieved exceedingly, and coming related to their lord all the things which transpired. ³² Then his lord calling him says to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, since thou didst intreat me: ³³ did it not behoove thee also to have mercy on thy fellow-servant, as I had mercy on thee? ³⁴ And his lord being angry delivered him to the tormenters, until he should pay all that was due him. ³⁵ Thus my Heavenly Father will also do unto you, if you do not forgive each one his brother from your hearts. ¹⁹ ¹ And it came to pass when Jesus finished these sermons, He departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea, beyond the Jordan. ² And many multitudes followed Him; and He healed them there. ³ And the Pharisees came to Him, tempting Him, and saying to Him; Is it lawful for a man to send away his wife for any cause? ⁴ And He responding said to them, Have you not read, that the one having made them from the beginning made them male and female? ⁵ And He said, On account of this a man shall leave father and mother, and cleave unto his wife; and they two shall be one flesh. ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh: therefore what God joined together, let no man separate. ⁷ They say to Him, Then why did Moses command to give a book of divorcement, and to send her away? ⁸ He says to them, Moses on account of the hardness of your heart permitted you to send away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ But I say unto you, That whosoever may send away his wife, not for fornication, and may marry another, commits adultery. ¹⁰ His disciples say to Him, If the cause of a man with his wife is thus, it is better not to marry. ¹¹ And He said to them, All do not receive this word, but those to whom it has been given. ¹² For there are eunuchs, who have been so born from the womb of their mother. And there are eunuchs, who have been eunuchized by men: and there are eunuchs, who eunuchized themselves for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it. ¹³ Then little children were brought to Him, that He might put His hands on them, and pray. And the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of the heavens. ¹⁵ And putting His hands on them, he departed thence. ¹⁶ Behold, one coming to Him said, Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do, in order that I may have eternal life? ¹⁷ And He said to him, Why do you ask me concerning the good One? One is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments. ¹⁸ He says to Him, What? And Jesus said to him, Thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt hot steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, ¹⁹ honor the father and the mother, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. ²⁰ The young man says to Him, All these have I kept from my youth: what lack I yet? ²¹ Jesus said to him, If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. ²² And the young man hearing the word, went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ²³ And Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say unto you, that a rich man will hardly enter into the kingdom of the heavens. ²⁴ And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to go into the kingdom of God. ²⁵ And the disciples hearing, were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then is able to be saved? ²⁶ And Jesus looking on them said; With men this is impossible; but all things are possible with God. ²⁷ Then Peter responding said to Him, Behold, we have left all things, and followed Thee; what then shall be to us? ²⁸ And Jesus said to them, Truly I say unto you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man may sit upon the throne of His glory, you shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And every one who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, on account of my name, shall receive a hundred-fold, and inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first shall be last, and the last first. ²⁰ ¹ For the kingdom of the heavens is like unto a landlord man, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² And having agreed with the laborers for a denarion per day, sent them into his vineyard. ³ And having gone out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the forum: ⁴ and he said to them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they departed. ⁵ Again having gone out about the sixth and ninth hours, he did likewise. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour having gone out, he found others standing; and says to them, Why stand ye here idle all the day? ⁷ They say to him, Because no one hired us. He says to them, Go ye also into the vineyard. ⁸ And it being evening, the lord of the vineyard says to his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last even unto the first. ⁹ And those having come about the eleventh hour, received each man a denarion. ¹⁰ But the first having come supposed that they shall receive more; and themselves also received each one a denarion. ¹¹ But receiving it, they murmured against the landlord, ¹² saying, These labored one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who bore the burden of the day and the heat. ¹³ But he responding said to one of them, Comrade, I do thee no wrong; didst thou not agree with me for a denarion? ¹⁴ Take thine own, and go. I wish to give unto this last one, even as unto thee. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do as I wish with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? ¹⁶ So the last shall be first, and first last. ¹⁷ And Jesus going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples privately, on the way and said to them, ¹⁸ Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, ¹⁹ and they will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and scourge, and crucify Him: and on the third day He will rise. ²⁰ Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, worshiping and asking something from Him. ²¹ And He said to her, What do you wish? She says to Him, Tell me that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right, and one on thy left, in thy kingdom. ²² And Jesus responding said, You know not what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink? They say to Him, We are able. ²³ And He says to them, You shall indeed drink my cup, but to sit on my right, and on my left, this is not mine to give, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father. ²⁴ And the ten hearing were indignant concerning the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus calling them to Him, said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and the great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be so among you; but whosoever may wish to be great among you, shall be your servant; ²⁷ and whosoever may wish to be first among you, shall be your slave: ²⁸ as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His soul a ransom for many. ²⁹ And they going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. ³⁰ And behold, two blind men sitting by the wayside, hearing that Jesus is passing by, cried out, saying; Have mercy on us, O son of David. ³¹ And the multitude rebuked them, that they should keep silent. And they cried out the more, saying; Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David. ³² Jesus standing, called them, and said, What do you wish that I shall do unto you? ³³ They say unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. ³⁴ And Jesus being moved with compassion, touched their eyes: and immediately they looked up; and followed Him. ²¹ ¹ When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent away two disciples, ² saying to them, Go into the village over against you, and you will immediately find a donkey tied, and the colt with her: loosing, lead her to me. ³ And if any one may say any thing to you, tell him, that the Lord hath need of them; and immediately he will send them away. ⁴ And all this took place, that the word spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ⁵ Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh, meek, and seated upon a donkey, even a colt, the progeny of the work-beast. ⁶ And the disciples, having gone and done as Jesus commanded them, ⁷ led the donkey, and the colt, and put their garments on them; and He sat on them. ⁸ A great multitude strewed their garments in the road: and others cut down the branches from the trees, and were strewing them in the road. ⁹ And the multitudes going forward, and following, continued to cry out, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest! ¹⁰ And He having come into Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, saying; Who is He? ¹¹ And the multitudes continued to say, He is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth of Galilee. ¹² And Jesus came into the temple of God, and cast out all the buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-exchangers, and the seats of those selling the doves; ¹³ and He says to them, It has been written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but you make it a den of thieves. ¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple: and He healed them. ¹⁵ And the chief priests and scribes seeing the wonderful things which He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying; Hosanna to the son of David, were indignant, ¹⁶ and said to Him, Do you hear what they are saying? And Jesus says to them, Yes: have you not read, That out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? ¹⁷ And having left them, He went out of the city into Bethany, and there spent the night. ¹⁸ And in the morning going into the city, He was hungry. ¹⁹ And seeing one fig-tree near the road, He went to it, and found nothing on it, except leaves only. And He says to it, Let no fruit ever be from thee; and immediately the fig-tree withered away. ²⁰ And the disciples seeing, were astonished, saying, How did the fig-tree immediately wither away? ²¹ And Jesus responding said to them, Truly I say unto you, if you may have faith, and doubt not, not only shall you do that of the fig-tree, but you shall say to this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, and it will be done. ²² All things whatsoever you may ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. ²³ And the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him, while teaching, He having come into the temple, saying, By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority? ²⁴ And Jesus responding, said to them, I ask you also one word, which if you may speak to me, I also will tell you by what authority I am doing these things: ²⁵ Whence was the baptism of John? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we may say, From heaven; He will say to us, Why then did you not believe on him? ²⁶ But if we may say, From men: we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet. ²⁷ And responding they said to Jesus, We do not know. He also said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁸ What seems to you? A man had two sons; and going to the first, he said, Child, go to-day, work in my vineyard. ²⁹ And he responding said, I am not willing: but afterward, having regretted, he went. ³⁰ And coming to the second, he spoke likewise. And he responding said, I, lord: and went not. ³¹ Which one of the two did the will of the father? They say to Him, The first. Jesus says to them, Truly I say unto you, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him, and you, seeing, did not afterward regret it, in order that you might believe him. ³³ Hear ye another parable. A man was a landlord, who planted a vineyard, and placed a hedge around it, and dug a wine-trough in it, and built a tower, and gave it out to husbandmen, and went away. ³⁴ And when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits; ³⁵ and the husbandmen taking his servants, beat one, and slew one, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. ³⁷ And afterward he sent to them his own son, saying, They will reverence my son. ³⁸ But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take possession of his inheritance. ³⁹ And taking him, they cast him out of the vine-yard, and slew him. ⁴⁰ Then when the lord of the vine-yard may come, what will he do to those husbandmen? ⁴¹ They say to Him, He will certainly destroy those wicked men, and give the vineyard to other husband-men, who will render to him the fruits in their seasons. ⁴² Jesus says, Have you not read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same has come to be the head of the corner: this was with the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes? ⁴³ Therefore I say unto you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it. ⁴⁴ OMITTED TEXT ⁴⁵ And the chief priests and Pharisees hearing His parables, knew that He speaks concerning them. ⁴⁶ And seeking to arrest Him, they feared the multitudes, since they held Him as a prophet.