23. because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts.
24. He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of pounds.
25. The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt.
26. The servant fell on his knees before the king. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay you everything!’
27. The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.
28. “Then the man went out and met one of his fellow-servants who owed him a few pounds. He grabbed him and started choking him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he said.
29. His fellow-servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!’
30. But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt.