Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

11Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on 2the 3mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2And 4He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3“56Blessed are the poor in spirit, for 7theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4“Blessed are 8those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5“Blessed are 9the 10gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

6“Blessed are 11those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

7“Blessed are 12the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8“Blessed are 13the pure in heart, for 14they will see God.

9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for 15they will be called sons of God.

10“Blessed are those who have been 16persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for 17theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11“Blessed are you when people 18insult 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 19in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Disciples and the World

13“You are the salt of the earth; but 20if the salt has become tasteless, how 21can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.

14“You are 22the light of the world. A city set on a 23hill cannot be hidden; 1524nor do people light a lamp and put it under a 25basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may 26see your good works, and 27glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17“Do not presume that I came to abolish the 28Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, 29until heaven and earth pass away, not 30the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches 31others to do the same, shall be called least 32in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever 33keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20“For I say to you that unless your 34righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Personal Relationships

21“35You have heard that 36the ancients were told, ‘37You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to 38the court.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to 39the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘40You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to 4142the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the 4344fiery hell. 23Therefore, if you are 45presenting your 46offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your 47offering there before the altar and go; first be 48reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your 49offering. 255051Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. 26Truly I say to you, 52you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last 53quadrans.

27“54You have heard that it was said, ‘55You shall not commit adultery’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman 56with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29Now 57if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, 58than for your whole body to be thrown into 5960hell. 30And 61if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you 62to lose one of the parts of your body, 63than for your whole body to go into 6465hell.

31“Now it was said, ‘66Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’; 3267but I say to you that everyone who 68divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a 69divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, 70you have heard that 71the ancients were told, ‘7273You shall not 74make false vows, but shall fulfill your 75vows to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, 76take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is 77the throne of God, 35nor by the earth, for it is the 78footstool of His feet, nor 79by Jerusalem, for it is 80the city of the great King. 36Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37But make sure your statement is, ‘81Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is 82of 83evil origin.

38“84You have heard that it was said, ‘85Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but 86whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. 40And if anyone wants to sue you and take your 87tunic, let him have your 88cloak also. 41Whoever 89forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 4290Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43“91You have heard that it was said, ‘92You shall love your neighbor 93and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, 94love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may prove yourselves to be 95sons 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 96if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? 48Therefore 97you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.