Matthew 18:1-14

Who Is the Greatest?

1 ¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them

3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you ²turn and ³become like children, you ⁴will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 ⁵Whoever humbles himself like this child is the ⁶greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 ⁷"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

6 but ⁸whoever causes one of these ⁹little ones who believe in me to sin,^[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7 "Woe to the world for ¹⁰temptations to sin!^[b]11For it is necessary that temptations come, ¹²but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!

8 ¹³And 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 with two hands or two feet to be thrown into ¹⁴the eternal fire.

9 ¹⁵And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the ¹⁶hell^[c] of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 "See that you do not despise ¹⁷one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ¹⁸their angels always ¹⁹see the face of my Father who is in heaven.^[d]

12 ²⁰What do you think? ²¹If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

14 So ²²it is not the will of my^[e] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 17:24; For ver. 1-5, see Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48; [Matthew 20:20-28]
• 2. See Luke 22:32
• 3. Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17; [Psalms 131:2; 1 Corinthians 14:20; 1 Peter 2:2]
• 4. [Matthew 5:19, 20]
• 5. Matthew 20:27; Matthew 23:11, 12
• 6. [See ver. 3 above]
• 7. [Matthew 10:40, 42]
• 8. Mark 9:42
• 9. Luke 17:2; [1 Corinthians 8:12]
• 10. See Matthew 13:41
• 11. Luke 17:1; See 1 Corinthians 11:19
• 12. Matthew 26:24
• 13. Matthew 5:29, 30; Mark 9:43-48
• 14. See Matthew 25:41
• 15. [See ver. 8 above]
• 16. [See ver. 8 above]
• 17. [Matthew 6:29; Matthew 25:40, 45; Luke 15:7, 10]
• 18. Acts 12:15; [Psalms 34:7; Psalms 91:11; Hebrews 1:14]
• 19. Luke 1:19; Revelation 8:2; [Esther 1:14]
• 20. Matthew 17:25; Matthew 21:28
• 21. For ver. 12-14, [Luke 15:4-7]
• 22. John 6:39; John 10:28; [John 17:12]

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek causes... to stumble; also verses 8, 9
• [b]. Greek stumbling blocks
• [c]. Greek Gehenna
• [d]. Some manuscripts add verse 11: For the Son of Man came to save the lost
• [e]. Some manuscripts your