18 ²¹ Then Peter came up and asked him, 'Lord, how often am I to forgive my brother if he goes on wronging me? As many as seven times?' 18 ²² Jesus replied, 'I do not say seven times; I say seventy times seven. Or: seventy-seven times.

18 ²³ 'The kingdom of Heaven, therefore, should be thought of in this way: There was once a king who decided to settle accounts with the men who served him. 18 ²⁴ At the outset there appeared before him a man whose debt ran into millions. Literally: who owed 10,000 talents. 18 ²⁵ Since he had no means of paying, his master ordered him to be sold to meet the debt, with his wife, his children, and everything he had. 18 ²⁶ The man fell prostrate at his master's feet. "Be patient with me," he said, "and I will pay in full"; 18 ²⁷ and the master was so moved with pity that he let the man go and remitted the debt. 18 ²⁸ But no sooner had the man gone out than he met a fellow-servant who owed him a few pounds; Literally: owed him 100 denarii. and catching hold of him he gripped him by the throat and said, "Pay me what you owe." 18 ²⁹ The man fell at his fellow-servant's feet, and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay you"; 18 ³⁰ but he refused, and had him jailed until he should pay the debt. 18 ³¹ The other servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and told him the whole story. 18 ³² He accordingly sent for the man. "You scoundrel!" he said to him, 18 ³³ "I remitted the whole of your debt when you appealed to me; were you not bound to show your fellow-servant the same pity as I showed to you?" 18 ³⁴ And so angry was the master that he condemned the man to torture until he should pay the debt in full. 18 ³⁵ And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you, unless you each forgive your brother from your hearts.'