Matthew 18

18 ¹For dat time di disciples come meet Jesus, dey ask, “So na who big pass for di kingdom of our Papa?”

²E call one small pikin come, come stand di pikin for dia middle,

³come talk, “I dey tell una true-true: if una no turn come be like small-small pikin, una no go ever enter our Papa kingdom. ⁴So anybody wey humble imsef like dis small pikin, na im big pass for di kingdom of our Papa. ⁵And anybody wey welcome one small pikin like dis for my name, na me e welcome.”

Wen Person Cause di Small-Small Ones make dem Fall

⁶“But anybody wey make one of dis small-small ones wey believe me fall—e go beta make dem hang heavy grinding-stone for im neck drown am for inside di deep sea.”

⁷“Wahala for di world becos of di tins wey dey make person fall! Dem must come, but wahala for di person wey dey bring dem. ⁸If your hand or your leg dey make you fall, cut am comot, throway am. E beta make you enter life as person wey no get one hand or one leg, pass make you get your two hand or two leg come dem throway you inside di fire wey no dey end.” ⁹If your eye dey make you fall, comot am throway am. E beta make you enter life wit one eye, pass make you get your two eye come dem throway you inside di fire of hell.

our Papa dey Look for di One Sheep wey Lost

¹⁰“Make una no look down on one of dis small-small ones. I dey tell una, dia angels for heaven dey always see my Papa face for heaven.” ^a a v10 Di earliest manuscripts no get verse 11 for here; di copies wey come later add: “Becos di Pikin of Man come save di ones wey lost.”

¹²“Wetin una tink? If man get one hundred sheep come one waka comot, e no go leave di ninety-nine for di hills go look for di one wey waka comot? ¹³If e find am, I dey assure una: e go happy for dat one pass di ninety-nine wey no waka comot. ¹⁴So na so e be, e no be di wish of una Papa for heaven make one of dis small-small ones perish.’

Wen your Broda Do you Bad

¹⁵“If your broda do you bad, go, show am im mistake—na you and am alone. If e hear you, you don win your broda come back. ¹⁶But if e no gree hear you, carry one or two more people come wit you, so dat every matter fit stand for di mouth of two or tree witness. ¹⁷If e no gree hear dem, tell di church. If e no gree hear di church sef, treat am like outsider or tax-collector. ¹⁸True-true I dey tell una, wetin una tie for ground, dem go don tie am for heaven, and wetin una loose for ground, dem go don loose am for heaven. ¹⁹Again, true-true I dey tell una: if two of una for ground gree about anytin wey dem ask, my Papa for heaven go do am for dem. ²⁰Becos wia two or tree gada togeda for my name, na dia I dey for dia middle.”

our Papa Forgiveness and Our Own

²¹Den Peter come meet Jesus: “Oga, how many times I go forgive my broda wey dey do me bad? Reach seven times?”

²²Jesus answer, “I dey tell you, no be seven times, but seventy-seven times. ²³So di kingdom of our Papa be like king wey wan settle account wit im servant dem. ²⁴Wen e start to settle account, dem bring one man wey owe plenty-plenty money come meet am. ²⁵Since di man no fit pay, im master order make dem sell am and im wife, im pikin dem, and evritin wey e get, come pay back di debt.”

²⁶So di servant kneel down for im front, dey beg, “Take patience wit me, I go pay evritin. ²⁷Di master of dat servant, im belle come dey pain am for di man, come release am come forgive am di debt.”

²⁸“Dat servant come comot go outside, find one fellow servant wey owe am one hundred days pay, come grab am, come start to choke am: ‘Pay back wetin you owe me!’”

²⁹So im fellow servant kneel down come dey beg am, “Take patience wit me; I go pay you. ³⁰But e no gree, e go throway am for prison sotay e go pay di debt. ³¹Wen di oda servant dem see wetin happen, dia belle pain dem well-well, dem go tell dia master evritin wey happen.”

³²Den di master call am come. “Yeye servant,” na so e talk, “I forgive you all dat debt becos you beg me. ³³You no suppose show your fellow servant mercy too, as I show you mercy? ³⁴Vex catch am, im master hand am give di people wey dey torment person sotay e go pay di whole debt. ³⁵My Papa for heaven go do you di same tin, if each one of una no forgive im broda from im heart.”