¹At that hour came the disciples near to Jesus, saying, ‘Who, now, is greater in the reign of the heavens?’ ²And Jesus having called near a child, did set him in the midst of them, ³and said, ‘Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens; ⁴whoever then may humble himself as this child, he is the greater in the reign of the heavens.

⁵‘And he who may receive one such child in my name, doth receive me, ⁶and whoever may cause to stumble one of those little ones who are believing in me, it is better for him that a weighty millstone may be hanged upon his neck, and he may be sunk in the depth of the sea.

⁷‘Woe to the world from the stumbling-blocks! for there is a necessity for the stumbling-blocks to come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling-block doth come!

⁸‘And if thy hand or thy foot doth cause thee to stumble, cut them off and cast from thee; it is good for thee to enter into the life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast to the fire the age-during.

⁹‘And if thine eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee; it is good for thee one-eyed to enter into the life, rather than having two eyes to be cast to the gehenna of the fire.

¹⁰‘Beware!—ye may not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their messengers in the heavens do always behold the face of my Father who is in the heavens, ¹¹for the Son of Man did come to save the lost.

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