Matthew 5:7-48

7“Blessed are 1the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8“Blessed are 2the pure in heart, for 3they will see God.

9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for 4they will be called sons of God.

10“Blessed are those who have been 5persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for 6theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11“Blessed are you when people 7insult 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 8in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but 9if the salt has become tasteless, how 10can 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 11the light of the world. A city set on a 12hill cannot be hidden; 1513nor do people light a lamp and put it under a 14basket, 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 15see your good works, and 16glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17“Do not presume that I came to abolish the 17Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, 18until heaven and earth pass away, not 19the 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 20others to do the same, shall be called least 21in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever 22keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20“For I say to you that unless your 23righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

21“24You have heard that 25the ancients were told, ‘26You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to 27the court.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to 28the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘29You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to 3031the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the 3233fiery hell. 23Therefore, if you are 34presenting your 35offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your 36offering there before the altar and go; first be 37reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your 38offering. 253940Come 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, 41you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last 42quadrans.

27“43You have heard that it was said, ‘44You shall not commit adultery’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman 45with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29Now 46if 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, 47than for your whole body to be thrown into 4849hell. 30And 50if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you 51to lose one of the parts of your body, 52than for your whole body to go into 5354hell.

31“Now it was said, ‘55Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’; 3256but I say to you that everyone who 57divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a 58divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, 59you have heard that 60the ancients were told, ‘6162You shall not 63make false vows, but shall fulfill your 64vows to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, 65take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is 66the throne of God, 35nor by the earth, for it is the 67footstool of His feet, nor 68by Jerusalem, for it is 69the 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, ‘70Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is 71of 72evil origin.

38“73You have heard that it was said, ‘74Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but 75whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. 40And if anyone wants to sue you and take your 76tunic, let him have your 77cloak also. 41Whoever 78forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 4279Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43“80You have heard that it was said, ‘81You shall love your neighbor 82and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, 83love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may prove yourselves to be 84sons 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 85if 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 86you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.