1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Causing to Stumble
6“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.7Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.9And if your eye causes you to stumble, 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.
The Parable of the Wandering Sheep
10“See that you do not despise one 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 owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15“If your brother or sister⚓sins,⚓go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.16But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’⚓17If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them 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, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.20For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.⚓ 23“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold⚓was brought to him.25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’27The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.⚓He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’34In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
18
Leejtwg yuav tau ua tug luj dua
(Mk. 9:33-37; Lk. 9:46-48)
1Thaus ntawd cov thwjtim lug has rua Yexu tas, “Leejtwg ua tug luj dua ndais sau ntuj ceeb tsheej?” 2Yexu hu ib tug mivnyuas yau lug kuas sawv huv plawv puab, 3hab has tas, “Kuv has tseeb rua mej tas, yog mej tsw ntxeev sab hab ua zoo le mivnyuas yau, mej yuav tsw tau nkaag rua huv ntuj ceeb tsheej hlo le. 4Yog le ntawd leejtwg txu nwg lub sab yaam le tug mivnyuas yau nuav, tug hov yuav tau ua tug luj dua ndais rua huv ntuj ceeb tsheej. 5“Leejtwg leeg yuav ib tug mivnyuas yau zoo le nuav vem yog saib rua kuv lub npe, kuj yog tug hov leeg yuav kuv. 6Tassws yog leejtwg ua rua cov mivnyuas yau kws ntseeg kuv nuav ib tug yuam kev ua txhum, mas muab ib txhwb zeb luj khi rua tug hov cej daab hab muab nrum rua huv havtxwv tub kuj zoo dua. 7Lub nplajteb yuav raug txom nyem lauj vem tim tej kws ua rua tuabneeg ua txhum. Yeej yuav tsum muaj tej yaam ua kuas ua txhum, tassws tug kws ua rua lwm tug ua txhum yuav raug txom nyem lauj! 8Yog koj txhais teg lossws koj txhais kwtaw ua rua koj ua txhum, ca le muab txav pov tseg. Koj txawm nqws teg nqws taw los koj tau txujsa kuj zoo dua koj muaj ob saab teg ob saab taw es raug muab nrum rua huv qhov suavtawg moog ib txhws. 9Yog koj lub qhov muag ua rua koj ua txhum, ca le muab kaus pov tseg. Koj muaj ib saab qhov muag xwb los tau txujsa kuj zoo dua koj muaj ob saab qhov muag es raug muab nrum rua huv ntuj tawg kub.”
Tug yaaj kws pluj
(Lk. 15:3-7)
10“Ca le ceev faaj zoo tsw xob saib tsw taug cov mivnyuas yau nuav ib tug twg, tsua qhov kuv has rua mej tas, cov tubkhai ntuj kws tsom kwm puab naj nub nyob ntawm kuv leej Txwv kws nyob sau ntuj lub xubndag.⚓ 12“Mej xaav le caag? Yog ib tug yawm muaj ib puas tug yaaj mas ib tug yuam kev pluj lawm, nwg yuav tsw tseg cuaj caug cuaj tug yaaj rua peg roob es moog nrhav tug kws yuam kev hov lov? 13Yog nwg nrhav tau, kuv qha tseeb rua mej tas, nwg yuav zoo sab xyiv faab rua tug hov heev dua cuaj caug cuaj tug kws tsw yuam kev. 14Ib yaam nkaus le nuav kuv leej Txwv kws nyob sau ntuj tsw xaav ca cov mivnyuas yau nuav ib tug twg puam tsuaj le.
Kwvtij ua txhum rua kwvtij
15“Yog koj ib tug kwvtij ua txhum rua koj ca le moog qha nwg qhov txhum rua nwg, meb ob leeg sws has xwb. Yog nwg noog koj has, koj yuav tau koj tug kwvtij rov qaab lug. 16Yog nwg tsw noog koj has, koj ca le coj ib leeg ob leeg nrug koj moog hab, sub txhad muaj ob peb tug timkhawv pum tas txhua lu lug muaj tseeb.⚓17Yog nwg tsw yeem noog puab cov ntawd has, ca le moog qha rua pawg ntseeg. Yog nwg tsw yeem noog pawg ntseeg has hab, koj ca le suav tas nwg zoo ib yaam le lwm haiv tuabneeg lossws yog ib tug tuabneeg sau se. 18“Kuv qha tseeb rua mej tas, mej txwv yaam twg⚓ huv lub nplajteb yaam hov kuj raug txwv sau ntuj, koj tso ncauj⚓ yaam twg huv lub nplajteb yaam hov kuj raug tso ncauj sau ntuj hab. 19Hab dua ib yaam, kuv has rua mej tas, yog mej ob leeg kws nyob huv nplajteb has hum koom sab thov ib yaam daabtsw, kuv leej Txwv kws nyob sau ntuj yuav pub yaam ntawd rua mej. 20Muaj ob leeg peb leeg tuaj ua ke huv kuv lub npe, kuv nyob huv plawv puab hov ntawd.”
Tug qhev kws tsw zaam txem
21Thaus ntawd Petu txawm txaav lug has rua Yexu tas, “Tug Tswv, yog kuv tug kwvtij pheej ua txhum rua kuv, kuv yuav zaam txem rua nwg pes tsawg zag? Txug xyaa zag lov?” 22Yexu has rua nwg tas, “Kuv tsw yog has tas xyaa zag xwb, tassws yog xyaa tug xyaa caum zag. 23Vem le nuav Ntuj Ceeb Tsheej pev ib yaam nkaus le ib tug vaajntxwv kws xaam nuj nqes rua nwg cov qhev. 24Thaus nwg chiv xaam, puab txawm coj ib tug qhev kws tshuav ib vaam talaa nyaj⚓ lug rua nwg. 25Vem tug qhev hov them tsw tau tes nwg tug lospaav txawm has kuas muab nwg hab nwg quaspuj mivnyuas hab txhua yaam kws nwg muaj muag huvsw coj lug them nuj nqes. 26Tug qhev hov txawm khwb nkaus pe thov nwg has tas, ‘Yawm hlub, thov ua sab ntev es kuv yuav them huvsw.’ 27Tug lospaav khuvleej txhad tso nwg moog hab zaam tej nuj nqes hov. 28Thaus tug qhev hov tawm moog nwg ntswb ib tug qhev kws yog nwg tuab paab kws tshuav nwg ib puas ntenali⚓ tes nwg txawm ntsab nkaus tug hov nyem cej daab has tas, ‘Ca le them tej kws koj tshuav kuv.’ 29Tug qhev hov txawm khwb nkaus thov has tas, ‘Thov ua sab ntev es kuv yuav them.’ 30Tassws nwg tsw yeem le, txawm coj tug qhev hov moog kaw txug thaus them nqe taag. 31Thaus nwg tuab paab tub qhe hov pum tej xwm txheej ntawd, puab nyuaj sab heev, txhad moog pav txhua yaam xwm txheej hov rua puab tug lospaav noog. 32Tug lospaav txhad hu tug tub qhe hov lug hab has rua nwg tas, ‘Koj tug nam qhev phem, kuv tub zaam koj tej nuj nqes huvsw vem koj thov kuv. 33Tsw tswm nyog koj khuvleej koj tuab paab tub qhe ib yaam le kuv tau khuvleej koj lawm lov?’ 34Mas tug lospaav npau tawg txawm muab tug qhev hov cob rua cov ceev xwm tswm txom moog txug thaus them nqe taag huvsw. 35Kuv leej Txwv Ntuj yuav ua ib yaam le ntawd rua mej txhua tug, yog tas mej tsw ua lub sab dawb paug zaam txem rua mej tej kwvtij.”