King James Bible
"I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite."
Jesus speaks with authority about imprisonment for unpaid debts, referencing the Roman legal system where debtors were held until settlement. The solemn tone emphasizes the certainty and inescapability of this consequence. The mite (Greek: lepton) was the smallest bronze coin in circulation, worth about 1/128 of a denarius. This hyperbolic reference to complete payment underscores that divine justice requires full satisfaction, with no debt too small to be overlooked.