English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
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At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, "Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?"
2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them
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For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room,
3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
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and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in.
4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
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Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom.
5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
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What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me.
6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, 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.
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"But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.
7 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin!For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
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Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don't have to make it worse - and it's doomsday to you if you do.
8 And 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 the eternal fire.
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"If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You're better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire.
9 And 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 hell of fire.
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And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You're better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.
10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
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"Watch that you don't treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don't you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?
12 What do you think? If 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?
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"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one?
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.
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And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put?
14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
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Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.