Matthew 5:4-48

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

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

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

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

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

9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for 8they will 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 this 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 underfoot by people.

14“You are 15the light of the world. A city set on a 16hill cannot be hidden; 1517nor do people light a lamp and put it under a 18basket, 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 19see your good works, and 20glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17“Do not presume 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 of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19Therefore, whoever nullifies 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 far 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 murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to 31the court.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to 32the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘33You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to 3435the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the 3637fiery hell. 23Therefore, if you are 38presenting your 39offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your 40offering there before the altar and go; first be 41reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your 42offering. 254344Come 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, 45you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last 46quadrans.

27“47You have heard that it was said, ‘48You shall not commit adultery’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman 49with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29Now 50if 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, 51than for your whole body to be thrown into 5253hell. 30And 54if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you 55to lose one of the parts of your body, 56than for your whole body to go into 5758hell.

31“Now it was said, ‘59Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’; 3260but I say to you that everyone who 61divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a 62divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, 63you have heard that 64the ancients were told, ‘6566You shall not 67make false vows, but shall fulfill your 68vows to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, 69take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is 70the throne of God, 35nor by the earth, for it is the 71footstool of His feet, nor 72by Jerusalem, for it is 73the 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, ‘74Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is 75of 76evil origin.

38“77You have heard that it was said, ‘78Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but 79whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. 40And if anyone wants to sue you and take your 80tunic, let him have your 81cloak also. 41Whoever 82forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 4283Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43“84You have heard that it was said, ‘85You shall love your neighbor 86and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, 87love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may prove yourselves to be 88sons 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 89if 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 90you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.