Matthew 5:20-48

Amplified Bible

²⁰ “For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Personal Relationships

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be ^[a]guilty before the court.’^{(A) 22} But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, ^[b]‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the ^[c]fiery hell. ²³ So if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and while there you remember that your brother has something [such as a grievance or legitimate complaint] against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come and present your offering. ²⁵ Come to terms quickly [at the earliest opportunity] with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way [to court], so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you are thrown into prison.^{(B) 26} I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid the last ^[d]cent.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;^{(C) 28} but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹ “It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife is to give her a certificate of divorce’; ³² but I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on grounds of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery.^(D)

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not make false vows, but you shall fulfill your vows to the Lord [as a religious duty].’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not make an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.^{(E) 36} Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ [a firm yes or no]; anything more than that comes from the evil one.^(F)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [punishment that fits the offense].’^{(G) 39} But I say to you, do not resist an evil person [who insults you or violates your rights]; but whoever ^[e]slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other toward him also [simply ignore insignificant insults or trivial losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity, your self-respect, your poise].^{(H) 40} If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, ^[f]let him have your coat also [for the Lord repays the offender]. ⁴¹ And whoever ^[g]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.^(I)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’^{(J) 44} But I say to you, ^[h]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,^{(K) 45} so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. ⁴⁶ For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? ⁴⁸ You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.^(L)