Matthew 18:26

Then the slave threw himself to the ground ¹  before him, saying, ²  ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’

"The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

"So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’

But the man fell down before the king and begged him, ‘Oh, sir, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’

"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.'

So the servant went down on his face and gave him worship, saying, Lord, give me time to make payment and I will give you all.

So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’

"The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’

¹ tn Grk “falling therefore the slave bowed down to the ground.” The redundancy of this expression signals the desperation of the slave in begging for mercy.

² tc The majority of mss (א L W 058 0281 Ë^1,13 33 Ï it sy^p,h co) begin the slave’s plea with “Lord” (κύριε, kurie), though a few important witnesses lack this vocative (B D Θ 700 pc lat sy^s,c Or Chr). Understanding the parable to refer to the Lord, scribes would be naturally prone to add the vocative here, especially as the slave’s plea is a plea for mercy. Thus, the shorter reading is more likely to be authentic.