12
What do you think? If {a certain man has} a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go [and] look for the one that wandered away?
13
And if he happens to find it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.
14
In the [same] way it is not the will {of} your Father [who is] in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Confronting a Brother Who Sins Against You
15 "Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
16
But if he does not listen, take with you in addition one or two [others], so that by {the testimony} of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.
17
And if he refuses to listen to them, tell [it] to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church also, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
18
"Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.
19
Again, truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask, it will be done for them from my Father [who is] in heaven.
20
For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them."
The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave
21 Then Peter came up to him [and] said, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I will forgive him? Up to seven times?"