Matthew 5:4-48

4“Blessed are 1those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5“Blessed are 2the 3gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6“Blessed are 4those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7“Blessed are 5the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8“Blessed are 6the pure in heart, for 7they shall see God.

9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for 8they shall be called sons of God.

10“Blessed are those who have been 9persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for 10theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11“Blessed are you when people 11insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for 12in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but 13if the salt has become tasteless, how 14can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14“You are 15the light of the world. A city set on a 16hill cannot be hidden; 1517nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a 18basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may 19see your good works, and 20glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17“Do not think that I came to abolish the 21Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, 22until heaven and earth pass away, not 23the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches 24others to do the same, shall be called least 25in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever 26keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20“For I say to you that unless your 27righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

21“28You have heard that 29the ancients were told, ‘30You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be 31liable to 32the court.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be 33guilty before 34the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘35You good-for-nothing,’ shall be 36guilty before 3738the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be 39guilty enough to go into the 4041fiery hell. 23Therefore if you are 42presenting your 43offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your 44offering there before the altar and go; first be 45reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your 46offering. 2547Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26Truly I say to you, 48you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last 49cent.

27“50You have heard that it was said, ‘51You shall not commit adultery’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman 52with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 2953If your right eye makes you 54stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you 55to lose one of the parts of your body, 56than for your whole body to be thrown into 5758hell. 3059If your right hand makes you 60stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you 61to lose one of the parts of your body, 62than for your whole body to go into 6364hell.

31“It was said, ‘65Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 3266but I say to you that everyone who 67divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a 68divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, 69you have heard that 70the ancients were told, ‘7172You shall not 73make false vows, but shall fulfill your 74vows to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, 75make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is 76the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is the 77footstool of His feet, or 78by Jerusalem, for it is 79the city of the great King. 36Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is 80of 81evil.

38“82You have heard that it was said, ‘83An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but 84whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40If anyone wants to sue you and take your 85shirt, let him have your 86coat also. 41Whoever 87forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 4288Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43“89You have heard that it was said, ‘90You shall love your neighbor 91and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, 92love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may 93be 94sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46For 95if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Therefore 9697you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.