The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

5 ^(A)Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on ^(B)the ^[a]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² And ^(C)He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “^[b](D)Blessed are the poor in spirit, for ^(E)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are ^(F)those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are ^(G)the ^[c]gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are ^(H)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are ^(I)the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are ^(J)the pure in heart, for ^(K)they will see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for ^(L)they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been ^(M)persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for ^(N)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

Disciples and the World

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but ^(Q)if the salt has become tasteless, how ^[d]can 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 ^(R)the light of the world. A city set on a ^[e]hill cannot be hidden; ^15 (S)nor do people light a lamp and put it under a ^[f]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may ^(T)see your good works, and ^(U)glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not presume that I came to abolish the ^(V)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, ^(W)until heaven and earth pass away, not ^[g]the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches ^[h]others to do the same, shall be called least ^(X)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever ^[i]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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

Personal Relationships

²¹ “^(Z)You have heard that ^[j]the ancients were told, ‘^(AA)You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to ^(AB)the court.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to ^(AC)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘^[k]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to ^[l](AD)the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the ^[m](AE)fiery hell. ²³ Therefore, if you are ^(AF)presenting your ^[n]offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your ^[o]offering there before the altar and go; first be ^(AG)reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your ^[p]offering. ^25 (AH)[q]Come 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. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, ^(AI)you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last ^[r]quadrans.

²⁷ “^(AJ)You have heard that it was said, ‘^(AK)You shall not commit adultery’; ²⁸ but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman ^(AL)with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ Now ^(AM)if 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, ^[s]than for your whole body to be thrown into ^[t](AN)hell. ³⁰ And ^(AO)if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you ^[u]to lose one of the parts of your body, ^[v]than for your whole body to go into ^[w](AP)hell.

³¹ “Now it was said, ‘^(AQ)Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’; ^32 (AR)but I say to you that everyone who ^[x]divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a ^[y]divorced woman commits adultery.

³³ “Again, ^(AS)you have heard that ^[z]the ancients were told, ‘^[aa](AT)You shall not ^[ab]make false vows, but shall fulfill your ^[ac]vows to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, ^(AU)take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is ^(AV)the throne of God, ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is the ^(AW)footstool of His feet, nor ^[ad]by Jerusalem, for it is ^(AX)the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ But make sure your statement is, ‘^[ae]Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is ^[af]of ^(AY)evil origin.

³⁸ “^(AZ)You have heard that it was said, ‘^(BA)Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but ^(BB)whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your ^[ag]tunic, let him have your ^[ah]cloak also. ⁴¹ Whoever ^[ai]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ^42 (BC)Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “^(BD)You have heard that it was said, ‘^(BE)You shall love your neighbor ^(BF)and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, ^(BG)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may prove yourselves to be ^(BH)sons 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. ⁴⁶ For ^(BI)if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? ⁴⁸ Therefore ^(BJ)you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Charitable Giving to the Poor and Prayer

6 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, ^(A)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

² “So when you ^[a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they ^(B)will be praised by people. ^(C)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ³ But when you ^[b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and ^(D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

⁵ “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to ^(E)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners ^(F)so that they ^[c]will be seen by people. ^(G)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ⁶ But as for you, when you pray, ^(H)go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and ^(I)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their ^(J)many words. ⁸ So do not be like them; for ^(K)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

The Lord’s Prayer

⁹ “^(L)Pray, then, in this way:

^14 (S)For if you forgive other people for their ^[j]offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But ^(T)if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your ^[k]offenses.

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth

¹⁶ “Now ^(U)whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they ^[l]distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. ^(V)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ¹⁷ But as for you, when you fast, ^[m](W)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your ^(X)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

¹⁹ “^(Y)Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves ^(Z)treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for ^(AA)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “^(AB)The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is ^[n]clear, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if ^(AC)your eye is ^[o]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “^(AD)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and ^[p](AE)wealth.

The Cure for Anxiety

²⁵ “^(AF)For this reason I say to you, ^[q]do not be ^(AG)worried about your ^[r]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? ^26 (AH)Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? ²⁷ And which of you by ^(AI)worrying can ^(AJ)add a single ^[s]day to his ^[t]life’s span? ²⁸ And why are you ^(AK)worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even ^(AL)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the ^(AM)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? ^(AN)You of little faith! ³¹ Do not ^(AO)worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for ^(AP)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But ^[u]seek first ^[v]His kingdom and His righteousness, and ^(AQ)all these things will be ^[w]provided to you.

³⁴ “So do not ^(AR)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will ^[x]worry about itself. ^[y]Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Judging Others

7 “^(A)Do not ^[a]judge, so that you will not be judged. ² For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and ^[b](B)by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you ^(C)look at the ^[c]speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ^4 (D)Or how ^[d]can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the ^[e]speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the ^[f]speck out of your brother’s eye!

⁶ “^(E)Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Prayer and the Golden Rule

⁷ “^[g](F)Ask, and ^(G)it will be given to you; ^[h]seek, and you will find; ^[i]knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or what person is there among you ^[j]who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, ^[k]will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or ^[l]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ So if you, despite being ^[m]evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, ^(H)how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

¹² “In everything, ^(I)therefore, ^[n]treat people the same way you want ^[o]them to treat you, for ^(J)this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³ “^(K)Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of the ^(L)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ^(M)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will ^[p](N)know them by their fruits. ^[q]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So ^(O)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (P)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will ^[r]know them ^(Q)by their fruits.

²¹ “^(R)Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ^22 (S)Many will say to Me on ^(T)that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many ^[s]miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; ^(U)leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

The Two Foundations

²⁴ “Therefore, ^(V)everyone who hears these words of Mine, and ^[t]acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell and the ^[u]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not ^[v]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell and the ^[w]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

^28 [x](W)When Jesus had finished these words, ^(X)the crowds were amazed at His teaching; ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

The Beatitudes

²⁰ And He raised His eyes toward His disciples and began saying, “^(A)Blessed are ^[a]you who are poor, for ^(B)yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are ^[b]you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are ^[c]you who weep now, for you will laugh. ^22 (C)Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they ^[d](D)exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice on that day and ^(E)jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to ^[e]treat the prophets ^(F)the same way. ²⁴ But woe to ^(G)you who are rich, for ^(H)you are receiving your comfort in full. ²⁵ Woe to you who ^[f]are well-fed now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. ²⁶ Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to ^[g]treat the ^(I)false prophets the same way.

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, ^(J)love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, ^(K)pray for those who are abusive to you. ^29 (L)Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your ^[h]cloak, do not withhold your ^[i]tunic from him either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. ^31 [j](M)Treat people the same way you want them to ^[k]treat you. ^32 (N)If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ^34 (O)And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. ³⁵ But ^(P)love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be ^(Q)sons of ^(R)the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. ^36 [l]Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷ “^(S)Do not ^[m]judge, and you will not be judged; and do not ^[n]condemn, and you will not be condemned; ^[o](T)pardon, and you will be pardoned. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. They will ^[p]pour ^(U)into your lap a ^(V)good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

³⁹ Now He also spoke a parable to them: “^(W)A person who is blind cannot guide another who is blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? ^40 (X)A ^[q]student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the ^[r]speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the ^[s]speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the ^[t]speck that is in your brother’s eye. ^43 (Y)For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, ^[u]on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit. ^44 (Z)For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. ^45 (AA)The good person out of the good ^[v]treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; ^(AB)for his mouth speaks from ^[w]that which fills his heart.

The Parable of the Builders

⁴⁶ “Now ^(AC)why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ^47 (AD)Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and ^[x]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who ^[y]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”