18

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

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 sistersins,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 bebound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beloosed 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 goldwas 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 tus loj dua

(Mk. 9:33-37; Lk. 9:46-48)

1Thaum ntawd cov thwjtim los hais rau Yexus tias, “Leejtwg ua tus loj dua ntais saum ntuj ceeb tsheej?” 2Yexus hu ib tug menyuam yaus los kom sawv hauv lawv nruab nrab, 3thiab hais tias, “Kuv hais tseeb rau nej tias, yog nej tsis ntxeev siab thiab ua zoo li menyuam yaus, nej yuav tsis tau nkag rau hauv ntuj ceeb tsheej kiag li. 4Yog li ntawd leejtwg txo nws lub siab yam li tus menyuam yaus no, tus ntawd yuav tau ua tus loj dua ntais rau hauv ntuj ceeb tsheej.
5“Leejtwg lees yuav ib tug menyuam yaus zoo li no vim yog saib rau kuv lub npe, kuj yog tus ntawd lees yuav kuv. 6Tiamsis yog leejtwg ua rau cov menyuam yaus uas ntseeg kuv no ib tug yuam kev ua txhaum, mas muab ib txhib zeb loj khi rau tus ntawd caj dab thiab muab pov rau hauv hiavtxwv tob kuj zoo dua. 7Lub ntiajteb yuav raug txom nyem lauj vim tim tej uas ua rau neeg ua txhaum. Yeej yuav tsum muaj tej yam ua kom ua txhaum, tiamsis tus uas ua rau lwm tus ua txhaum yuav raug txom nyem lauj! 8Yog koj txhais tes lossis koj txhais kotaw ua rau koj ua txhaum, cia li muab txiav pov tseg. Koj txawm nqws tes nqws taw los koj tau txojsia kuj zoo dua koj muaj ob sab tes ob sab taw es raug muab pov rau hauv qhov hluavtaws mus ib txhis. 9Yog koj lub qhov muag ua rau koj ua txhaum, cia li muab kaus pov tseg. Koj muaj ib sab qhov muag xwb los tau txojsia kuj zoo dua koj muaj ob sab qhov muag es raug muab pov rau hauv ntuj tawg kub.”

Tus yaj uas ploj

(Lk. 15:3-7)

10“Cia li ceev faj zoo tsis txhob saib tsis taus cov menyuam yaus no ib tug twg, rau qhov kuv hais rau nej tias, cov tubtxib saum ntuj uas tsom kwm lawv niaj hnub nyob ntawm kuv leej Txiv uas nyob saum ntuj lub xubntiag.
12“Nej xav li cas? Yog ib tug yawg muaj ib puas tus yaj mas ib tug yuam kev ploj lawm, nws yuav tsis tseg cuaj caum cuaj tug yaj rau pem roob es mus nrhiav tus uas yuam kev ntawd lov? 13Yog nws nrhiav tau, kuv qhia tseeb rau nej tias, nws yuav zoo siab xyiv fab rau tus ntawd heev dua cuaj caum cuaj tug uas tsis yuam kev. 14Ib yam nkaus li no kuv leej Txiv uas nyob saum ntuj tsis xav cia cov menyuam yaus no ib tug twg puam tsuaj li.

Kwvtij ua txhaum rau kwvtij

15“Yog koj ib tug kwvtij ua txhaum rau koj cia li mus qhia nws qhov txhaum rau nws, neb ob leeg sib hais xwb. Yog nws mloog koj hais, koj yuav tau koj tus kwvtij rov qab los. 16Yog nws tsis mloog koj hais, koj cia li coj ib leeg ob leeg nrog koj mus thiab, xwv thiaj muaj ob peb tus timkhawv pom tias txhua lo lus muaj tseeb. 17Yog nws tsis yeem mloog lawv cov ntawd hais, cia li mus qhia rau pawg ntseeg. Yog nws tsis yeem mloog pawg ntseeg hais thiab, koj cia li suav tias nws zoo ib yam li lwm haiv neeg lossis yog ib tug neeg sau se.
18“Kuv qhia tseeb rau nej tias, nej txwv yam twg hauv lub ntiajteb yam ntawd kuj raug txwv saum ntuj, koj tso ncauj yam twg hauv lub ntiajteb yam ntawd kuj raug tso ncauj saum ntuj thiab. 19Thiab dua ib yam, kuv hais rau nej tias, yog nej ob leeg uas nyob hauv ntiajteb hais hum koom siab thov ib yam dabtsi, kuv leej Txiv uas nyob saum ntuj yuav pub yam ntawd rau nej. 20Muaj ob leeg peb leeg tuaj ua ke hauv kuv lub npe, kuv nyob hauv lawv nruab nrab qhov ntawd.”

Tus qhev uas tsis zam txim

21Thaum ntawd Petus txawm txav los hais rau Yexus tias, “Tus Tswv, yog kuv tus kwvtij pheej ua txhaum rau kuv, kuv yuav zam txim rau nws pes tsawg zaus? Txog xya zaus lov?” 22Yexus hais rau nws tias, “Kuv tsis yog hais tias xya zaus xwb, tiamsis yog xya tus xya caum zaum. 23Vim li no Ntuj Ceeb Tsheej piv ib yam nkaus li ib tug vajntxwv uas xam nuj nqes rau nws cov qhev. 24Thaum nws pib xam, lawv txawm coj ib tug qhev uas tshuav ib vam tala nyiaj los rau nws. 25Vim tus qhev ntawd them tsis tau ces nws tus lospav txawm hais kom muab nws thiab nws pojniam menyuam thiab txhua yam uas nws muaj muag huvsi coj los them nuj nqes. 26Tus qhev ntawd txawm khwb nkaus pe thov nws hais tias, ‘Yawg hlob, thov ua siab ntev es kuv yuav them huvsi.’ 27Tus lospav khuvleej thiaj tso nws mus thiab zam tej nuj nqes ntawd. 28Thaum tus qhev ntawd tawm mus nws ntsib ib tug qhev uas yog nws tib pab uas tshuav nws ib puas denalia ces nws txawm ntsiab nkaus tus ntawd nyem caj dab hais tias, ‘Cia li them tej uas koj tshuav kuv.’ 29Tus qhev ntawd txawm khwb nkaus thov hais tias, ‘Thov ua siab ntev es kuv yuav them.’ 30Tiamsis nws tsis yeem li, txawm coj tus qhev ntawd mus kaw txog thaum them nqe tag. 31Thaum nws tib pab tub qhe ntawd pom tej xwm txheej ntawd, lawv nyuaj siab heev, thiaj mus piav txhua yam xwm txheej ntawd rau lawv tus lospav mloog. 32Tus lospav thiaj hu tus tub qhe ntawd los thiab hais rau nws tias, ‘Koj tus niag qhev phem, kuv twb zam koj tej nuj nqes huvsi vim koj thov kuv. 33Tsis tsim nyog koj khuvleej koj tib pab tub qhe ib yam li kuv tau khuvleej koj lawm lov?’ 34Mas tus lospav npau taws txawm muab tus qhev ntawd cob rau cov ceev xwm tsim txom mus txog thaum them nqe tag huvsi. 35Kuv leej Txiv Ntuj yuav ua ib yam li ntawd rau nej txhua tus, yog tias nej tsis ua lub siab dawb paug zam txim rau nej tej kwvtij.”