# Matthew 18.12

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-10-14 | updated: 2026-10-14 -->

**Book:** [Matthew](/codex/matthew/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 10. <span class="rl-speech">See that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.</span>
>
> **12. <span class="rl-speech">How think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the mountains, and seek that which goeth astray?</span>**
>
> 13. <span class="rl-speech">And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray.</span> 14. <span class="rl-speech">Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.</span> (Matthew 18:10-14, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 10. <span class="rl-speech">See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.</span> 11. <span class="rl-speech">For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.</span>
>
> **12. <span class="rl-speech">“What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?</span>**
>
> 13. <span class="rl-speech">If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.</span> 14. <span class="rl-speech">Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.</span> (Matthew 18:10-14, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 10. <span class="rl-speech">Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.</span> 11. <span class="rl-speech">For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.</span>
>
> **12. <span class="rl-speech">How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?</span>**
>
> 13. <span class="rl-speech">And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.</span> 14. <span class="rl-speech">Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.</span> (Matthew 18:10-14, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 10. <span class="rl-speech">'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,</span> 11. <span class="rl-speech">for the Son of Man did come to save the lost.</span>
>
> **12. <span class="rl-speech">'What think ye? if a man may have an hundred sheep, and there may go astray one of them, doth he not, having left the ninety-nine, having gone on the mountains, seek that which is gone astray?</span>**
>
> 13. <span class="rl-speech">and if it may come to pass that he doth find it, verily I say to you, that he doth rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray;</span> 14. <span class="rl-speech">so it is not will in presence of your Father who is in the heavens, that one of these little ones may perish.</span> (Matthew 18:10-14, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Well-Being Cannot Ground Morality Defeater](/codex/well-being-cannot-ground-morality-defeater/), via [Matthew 18.12-14](/codex/matthew-18-12-14/)

**Concepts:**

- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [Matthew 18](/codex/matthew-18/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.