Matthew 18:15–17
Jesus teaches to speak first, alone, with the one who wronged you
Study it word by word15And if your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
16But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established.
17And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly; and if he refuses to listen even to the assembly, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.
In its context
13And if it happens that he finds it, truly I tell you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
14So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
…
18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.
19Again, truly I tell you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
Its words in the original
- ἁμαρτήσῃhamartēsēi· sin
Sin: fail God, do what he forbids.
- ἀδελφόςadelphos· brother
Brother. Also a close relative, a fellow countryman and, among believers, a brother in the faith.
- ὕπαγεhypage· go away
Go away, leave; "go!".
- ἔλεγξονelenxon· convict, expose
Rebuke, convict, show someone his fault.
- μεταξὺmetaxy· between, meanwhile
Between; "in the meantime".
- μόνουmonou· only, alone
Alone, only.
- ἀκούσῃakousēi· hear, listen
Hear, listen; also heed.
- ἐκέρδησαςekerdēsas· gain
Gain, win.
- παράλαβεparalabe· take, receive
Receive, take along; take a wife into one's home.
- ἕναhena· one
One.
- δύοdyo· two
Two.
- στόματοςstomatos· mouth
Mouth.
- μαρτύρωνmartyrōn· witness
Witness.
- τριῶνtriōn· three
Three.
- σταθῇstathēi· stand, set
Stand, stand still, stop; also set, establish.
- ῥῆμαrhēma· word, saying
Word, something said; also matter, thing.
- παρακούσῃparakousēi· ignore, overhear
Pay no attention to, disregard; also overhear.
- εἰπὸνeipon· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ἐκκλησίᾳekklēsiai· assembly
Assembly: the people God calls together and gathers. It is the word usually translated “church.”
- ἔστωestō· be
Be, exist.
- ὥσπερhōsper· just as
Just as, in the same way as.
- ἐθνικὸςethnikos· Gentile
Gentile: one who does not belong to the people of Israel.
- τελώνηςtelōnēs· tax collector
Tax collector, who collected taxes for Rome; despised by the people.