Matthew 5-7

New King James Version

The Beatitudes^(A)

5 And seeing the multitudes, ^(B)He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ² Then He opened His mouth and ^(C)taught them, saying:

^11 (N)Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of ^(O)evil against you falsely for My sake. ^12 (P)Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for ^(Q)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Believers Are Salt and Light^(R)

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; ^(S)but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

^14 (T)“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they ^(U)light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, ^(V)that they may see your good works and ^(W)glorify your Father in heaven.

Christ Fulfills the Law

^17 (X)“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, ^(Y)till heaven and earth pass away, one ^[b]jot or one ^[c]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ^19 (Z)Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds ^(AA)the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder Begins in the Heart^(AB)

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those ^[d]of old, ^(AC)‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that ^(AD)whoever is angry with his brother ^[e]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ^(AE)‘Raca!’^[f] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ^[g]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of ^[h]hell fire. ²³ Therefore ^(AF)if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ^24 (AG)leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ^25 (AH)Agree with your adversary quickly, ^(AI)while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Adultery in the Heart

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said ^[i]to those of old, ^(AJ)‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that whoever ^(AK)looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ^29 (AL)If your right eye causes you to ^[j]sin, ^(AM)pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to ^[k]sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Marriage Is Sacred and Binding^(AN)

³¹ “Furthermore it has been said, ^(AO)‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that ^(AP)whoever divorces his wife for any reason except ^[l]sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Jesus Forbids Oaths

³³ “Again you have heard that ^(AQ)it was said to those of ^[m]old, ^(AR)‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^(AS)shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, ^(AT)do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is ^(AU)God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of ^(AV)the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ^37 (AW)But let ^[n]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Go the Second Mile^(AX)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ^(AY)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ^39 (AZ)But I tell you not to resist an evil person. ^(BA)But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹ And whoever ^(BB)compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks you, and ^(BC)from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies^(BD)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ^(BE)‘You shall love your neighbor ^(BF)and hate your enemy.’ ^44 [o]But I say to you, ^(BG)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^(BH)do good to those who hate you, and pray ^(BI)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^(BJ)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (BK)For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your ^[p]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the ^[q]tax collectors do so? ^48 (BL)Therefore you shall be perfect, just ^(BM)as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Do Good to Please God

6 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, ^(BN)when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret ^(BO)will Himself reward you ^[r]openly.

The Model Prayer^(BP)

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the ^[s]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, ^(BQ)go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[t]openly. ⁷ And when you pray, ^(BR)do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. ^(BS)For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father ^(BT)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this ^(BU)manner, therefore, pray:

^14 (CD)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But ^(CE)if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting to Be Seen Only by God

¹⁶ “Moreover, ^(CF)when you fast, do not be like the ^[v]hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, ^(CG)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[w]openly.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven^(CH)

^19 (CI)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ^20 (CJ)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body^(CK)

^22 (CL)“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is ^[x]good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is ^[y]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches

^24 (CM)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. ^(CN)You cannot serve God and ^[z]mammon.

Do Not Worry^(CO)

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, ^(CP)do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ^26 (CQ)Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one ^[aa]cubit to his ^[ab]stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not ^[ac]arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But ^(CR)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Do Not Judge^(CS)

7 “Judge^{[ad] (CT)}not, that you be not judged. ² For with what ^[ae]judgment you judge, you will be judged; ^(CU)and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ^3 (CV)And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

^6 (CW)“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking^(CX)

^7 (CY)“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For ^(CZ)everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ^9 (DA)Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, ^(DB)being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ¹² Therefore, ^(DC)whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for ^(DD)this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow Way^(DE)

^13 (DF)“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ^14 [af]Because narrow is the gate and ^[ag]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits^(DG)

^15 (DH)“Beware of false prophets, ^(DI)who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ^16 (DJ)You will know them by their fruits. ^(DK)Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, ^(DL)every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (DM)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

I Never Knew You^(DN)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ^(DO)‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who ^(DP)does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we ^(DQ)not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And ^(DR)then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; ^(DS)depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Build on the Rock^(DT)

²⁴ “Therefore ^(DU)whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

²⁸ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that ^(DV)the people were astonished at His teaching, ^29 (DW)for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.