The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5
The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat
down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them, saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely
say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its
saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In
the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The fulfillment of the Law
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the
truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not
the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law
until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least
of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called
least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these
commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you
that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the
teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not
murder, [1] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I
tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother [2] will be subject
to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca, [3]' is
answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in
danger of the fire of hell.
23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift
there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother;
then come and offer your gift.
25"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to
court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you
over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and
you may be thrown into prison. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get
out until you have paid the last penny. [4]
Adultery
27"You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' [5]
28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already
committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you
to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one
part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And
if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It
is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body
to go into hell.
Divorce
31"It has been said, `Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a
certificate of divorce.' [6]
32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for
marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone
who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do
not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34
But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's
throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem,
for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your
`Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the
evil one.
An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, `Eye for eye, and tooth for
tooth.' [7] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if
someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as
well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who
wants to borrow from you.
43"You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor [8] and hate
your enemy.'
Love Your Enemy
44But I tell you: Love your enemies [9] and pray for those who
persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He
causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And
if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do
not even pagans do that?
48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 6
Giving to the poor
1"Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be
seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in
heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by
men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But
when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5"And when you
pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you
the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Prayer
6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to
your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling
like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many
words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him. 9"This, then, is how you should pray:
"`Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. [10]'
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you.15But if you do not forgive men their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins.
Fasting
16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they
disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the
truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put
oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to
men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Treasures in Heaven
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole
body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body
will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how
great is that darkness!
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and Money.
Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will
eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at
the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life
[11]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is
how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow
is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What
shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But
seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its
own.
Matthew 7
Judging Others
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you
judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will
be measured to you.
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and
pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your
brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time
there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother's eye.
6"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.
If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and
tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who
seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts
to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is
the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few
find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.16By their fruit you
will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs
from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad
tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad
tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in
your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
23Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!'
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them
into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the
rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them
into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house, and it fell with a great crash."
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed
at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not
as their teachers of the law.
Footnotes
1. 21 Exodus 20:13
2. 22 Some manuscripts brother without cause
3. 22 An Aramaic term of contempt
4. 26 Greek kodrantes
5. 27 Exodus 20:14
6. 31 Deut. 24:1
7. 38 Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21
8. 43 Lev. 19:18
9. 44 Some late manuscripts enemies, bless those who curse you, do
good to those who hate you
10. 13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, for yours is the
kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
11. 27 Or single cubit to his height
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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