Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

In this chapter and the two next following is contained the most excellent and loving sermon of Christ in the Mount, which sermon is the very key that opens the understanding into the law. In this fifth chapter especially, he preaches of the 8 beatitudes, or blessings; of manslaughter, wrath, and anger; of adultery, of swearing, of suffering wrong; and of love, even toward a person’s enemies.

5 When Jesus saw the crowds of people, he went up into a mountain. And when he was seated, his disciples came to him. ² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

¹³ You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost her saltness, what can be salted with it? It is thereafter good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot by men.

¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. No, I have not come to destroy them, but to fulfil them. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth perish, not one jot or one tittle of the law shall escape, till all be fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whosoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, he will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever observes and teaches them, the same will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.

²¹ You have heard how it was said to the people of the old time, You shall not kill. For whosoever kills will be liable to judgment. ²² But I say to you, whosoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Whosoever says to his brother, Racha! will be liable to a council. But whosoever says, You fool! will be liable to hell fire.

²³ Therefore, when you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way first and be reconciled to your brother; and then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ Reconcile with your adversary quickly while you are in the way with him, lest the adversary commit you to the judge, and the judge commit you to the officer, and then you be cast into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there till you have paid the last penny.

²⁷ You have heard how it was said to the people of the old time, You shall not commit adultery. ²⁸ But I say to you that whosoever looks on a wife, lusting after her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart. ²⁹ Therefore, if your right eye causes you to offend, tear it out and cast it from you. It is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body should be cast into hell. ³⁰ Also, if your right hand causes you to offend, cut it off and cast it from you. Better it is that one of your members perish, than that all your body should be cast into hell.

³¹ It is said, Whosoever puts away his wife, let him give her a testimonial also of the divorce. ³² But I say to you, whosoever puts away his wife (unless it be for fornication), causes her to break matrimony. And whoever marries her who is divorced, breaks wedlock.

³³ Again, you have heard how it was said to the people of old time, Do not forswear yourself, but perform your oath to God. ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all – neither by heaven, for it is God’s seat, ³⁵ nor yet by the earth, for it his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of that great king. ³⁶ Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your communication be yes, yes, and no, no. For whatever is more than that, comes of evil.

³⁸ You have heard how it is said, An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. ³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist wrong. But whosoever gives you a blow on your right cheek, turn to him the other. ⁴⁰ And if any man would sue you at law and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹ And whoever would compel you to go a mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks, and from him who would borrow, turn not away.

⁴³ You have heard how it is said, You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who do you wrong and persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be the children of your Father that is in heaven. For he makes his sun to arise on the evil and on the good, and sends his rain on the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward should you have? Do not the publicans do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you are friendly to your brethren only, what singular thing are you doing? Do not the publicans do likewise? ⁴⁸ You must therefore be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

Of alms, prayer, and fasting. Jesus forbids the care of seeking the things of this life.

6 Take heed to your alms, that you do not give in the sight of men with the intent to be seen by them, or you will receive no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ² Whenever therefore you give your alms, do not make a trumpet to be blown before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you give, let not your left hand know what your right hand does, ⁴ so that your giving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

⁵ And when you pray, do not be as the hypocrites are. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, because they want to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, enter into your chamber and shut the door to, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

⁷ And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions like the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Be not like them therefore. For your Father knows what you need before you ask of him. ⁹ Pray therefore in this manner:

¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you will not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.

¹⁶ Moreover, when you fast, do not be sad like the hypocrites are. For they disfigure their faces so they may be seen by men, how they fast. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it does not appear to men that you are fasting, but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

¹⁹ See that you do not gather for yourselves treasure upon the earth, where rust and moths destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But gather treasures together in heaven, where neither rust nor moths destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal. ²¹ For wherever your treasure is, there will your hearts be also.

²² The light of the body is your eye. Therefore if your eye is single, all your body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, then all your body will be full of darkness. Therefore if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴ No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will lean to the one and neglect the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon. ²⁵ Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor yet for your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Behold the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value than they?

²⁷ Which of you, though he took thought for it, could add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ Why worry then about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not labour or spin. ²⁹ And yet for all that, I say to you that even Solomon in all his royalty was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Therefore if God so clothes the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow will be cast into the furnace, will he not much more do the same for you, O ye of little faith?

³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What will we eat? or, What will we drink? or, How will we be clothed? ³² After all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. ³³ But rather seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness, and all these things will be ministered unto you.

³⁴ Care not then for the morrow, but let the morrow care for itself. For the present day has ever enough of its own trouble.

Jesus forbids foolish and presumptuous judgment, reproves hypocrisy, exhorts to prayer, warns us to beware of false prophets, and so concludes his sermon.

7 Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For as you judge, so shall you be judged, and the measure you use will be measured back to you. ³ Why do you see a speck in your brother’s eye, and not perceive the beam that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or why do you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, there is a beam in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite, first cast the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to pluck the speck out of your brother’s eye.

⁶ Do not give that which is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they tread them under their feet and then turn and tear you to shreds.

⁷ Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For whosoever asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. ⁹ Is there anyone among you who, if his son asked for bread, would offer him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asked for fish, would give him a serpent? ¹¹ If, then, you who are 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 whatever you would have others do unto you, so do unto them. This is the law and the prophets.

¹³ Enter in at the strait gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in at it. ¹⁴ But strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there are who find it. ¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ¹⁶ You may know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree brings forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree brings forth bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, nor yet can a bad tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore, by their fruits you may know them.

²¹ Not all who say to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name have cast out devils, and in your name done many miracles? ²³ And then I will declare to them that I never knew them. Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity!

²⁴ Whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. ²⁵ And much rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that same house; and it did not fall, because it was grounded on the rock. ²⁶ And whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them not shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. ²⁷ And much rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell. And great was the fall of it.

²⁸ And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his instruction. ²⁹ For he taught them as one having power, and not as the scribes.