Matthew Chapter Eighteen Poem by Day Williams

1 About that time the followers came up
To Jesus, asking, "Who's the greatest in
Heaven's kingdom? " 2 He called a little child

And had him stand among them.3 "Believe me, "
He said, "unless you turn to God from sin
And you become like little children, you

Will never enter heaven's kingdom,4 so
The man who makes himself as humble as
This little child is greatest in the kingdom

Of heaven,5 and whoever welcomes such
A little child in my name welcomes me,
6 But for whoever leads a little child

Astray, it would be better for that man
To have a millstone hung around his neck
And to be drowned in ocean depths.7 Woe to

The world because of pitfalls! For such things
Must come, but woe to him responsible
For their appearance! 8 If your hand or foot

Makes you sin, lop it off then toss the limb
Away. It's good for you to enter life
Mutilated or crippled than to have

Two hands or two feet and be thrown into
Eternal fire; 9 and if your eye leads you
Astray, gouge it out and throw it away.

For it is better that you enter life
With one eye than have two eyes and be thrown
Into the fire of hell; 10-11 see that you don't

Despise one of these little ones, for I
Tell you that their heavenly angels always see
My heavenly Father's face.12 What do you think?

If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one
Wanders away and it is lost, what will
He do? Will he not leave the ninety-nine

Upon the hillside and set out to find
The one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds
It, I assure you that he's happier

About that one sheep than he is about
The ninety-nine that did not wander off.
14 In the same way your heavenly Father is

Not willing any of these little ones
Should perish.15 If your brother sins against
You, go and show his fault to him, between

The two of you; and if he hears you, you
Have won your brother over,16 but if he
Won't listen, take one or two others with

You, so that ‘everything that's said may be
Supported by the testimony of
Two or three witnesses.' 17 If he refuses

To listen to them, tell it to the church;
If he won't pay attention to the church,
Then treat him like a pagan or a tax

Collector.18 I tell you the truth, whatever
You bind on earth is bound in heaven, and
Whatever you permit on earth will be

Allowed in heaven,19 and again, I say
If two of you on earth agree about
Anything you ask for, my Father in

Heaven will do it for you,20 for where two
Or three are gathered in my name, I will
Be there among them." 21 Peter then approached

Jesus and asked him, "Lord, how many times
Shall I forgive my brother when he sins
Against me? Seven times? " 22 "No! " Jesus said,

"I mean, not seven times, but seventy-
Seven times.23 Therefore, heaven's kingdom's like
A king who wanted to conclude accounts

With servants.24 As he started settling them,
A man was brought to him who owed ten
Thousand talents,25 and as he could not pay,

The master ordered that the man, his wife,
And children all be sold as slaves, and all
He had be sold to pay the debt.26 The servant

Fell on his knees before the king. ‘Be patient
With me, ' he begged, ‘and I will pay it all.'
27 The servant's master, filled with pity for

The man, erased the debt and let him go.
28 But when that servant left his master's place,
He found a fellow servant owing him

A hundred denarii 29 and grabbed him by
The throat. ‘Pay back your debt to me! " he cried
To him. His fellow servant fell upon

His knees and begged, ‘Be patient with me- I
Will pay you back, ' 30 but he refused. Instead,
He went and had the man imprisoned ‘til

He paid the debt.31 When other servants saw
What had occurred, they were distressed and went
And told their master everything that had

Occurred.32 And then the master called the man
In who had been forgiven. ‘Wicked wretch! '
He said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours

Because you begged me to.33 Now shouldn't you
Have taken pity on your fellow servant
As I took pity on you? ' 34 In a rage

His master turned him over to the jailers
For torture, ‘til he had paid back all that
He owed,35 and this is how my heavenly Father

Will treat each one of you if you do not
Truly forgive your brother, as you ought."