Matthew 4–12

Chapter 4

¹Then Jesus was carried up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil: ²and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he hungered. ³And the tempter coming up to him said, If thou be Son of God, speak, that these stones may become loaves of bread. ⁴But he answering said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which goes out through God’s mouth. ⁵Then the devil takes him to the holy city, and sets him upon the edge of the temple, ⁶and says to him, If thou be Son of God cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give charge to his angels concerning thee, and on their hands shall they bear thee, lest in anywise thou strike thy foot against a stone. ⁷Jesus said to him, It is again written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. ⁸Again the devil takes him to a very high mountain, and shews him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, ⁹and says to him, All these things will I give thee if, falling down, thou wilt do me homage. ¹⁰Then says Jesus to him, Get thee away, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt do homage to the Lord thy God, and him alone shalt thou serve. ¹¹Then the devil leaves him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.

¹²But having heard that John was delivered up, he departed into Galilee: ¹³and having left Nazareth, he went and dwelt at Capernaum, which is on the sea-side in the borders of Zabulon and Nepthalim, ¹⁴that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through Esaias the prophet, saying, ¹⁵Land of Zabulon and land of Nepthalim, way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: ¹⁶—the people sitting in darkness has seen a great light, and to those sitting in the country and shadow of death, to them has light sprung up. ¹⁷From that time began Jesus to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh.

¹⁸And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers; ¹⁹and he says to them, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. ²⁰And they, having left their trawl-nets, immediately followed him. ²¹And going on thence he saw other two brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the ship with Zebedee their father, mending their trawl-nets, and he called them; ²²and they, having left the ship and their father, immediately followed him.

²³And Jesus went round the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every bodily weakness among the people. ²⁴And his fame went out into the whole of Syria, and they brought to him all that were ill, suffering under various diseases and pains, and those possessed by demons, and lunatics, and paralytics; and he healed them. ²⁵And great crowds followed him from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judaea, and beyond the Jordan.

Chapter 5

¹But seeing the crowds, he went up into the mountain, and having sat down, his disciples came to him; ²and, having opened his mouth, he taught them, saying,

³Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. ⁴Blessed they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. ⁵Blessed the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. ⁶Blessed they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. ⁷Blessed the merciful, for they shall find mercy. ⁸Blessed the pure in heart, for they shall see God. ⁹Blessed the peace-makers, for they shall be called sons of God. ¹⁰Blessed they who are persecuted on account of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. ¹¹Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for my sake. ¹²Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus have they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted? It is no longer fit for anything but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot by men. ¹⁴Ye are the light of the world: a city situated on the top of a mountain cannot be hid. ¹⁵Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but upon the lamp-stand, and it shines for all who are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light thus shine before men, so that they may see your upright works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.

¹⁷Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil. ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass. ¹⁹Whosoever then shall do away with one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall practise and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. ²⁰For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

²¹Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; but whosoever shall kill shall be subject to the judgment. ²²But I say unto you, that every one that is lightly angry with his brother shall be subject to the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be subject to be called before the sanhedrim; but whosoever shall say, Fool, shall be subject to the penalty of the hell of fire. ²³If therefore thou shouldest offer thy gift at the altar, and there shouldest remember that thy brother has something against thee, ²⁴leave there thy gift before the altar, and first go, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. ²⁵Make friends with thine adverse party quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him; lest some time the adverse party deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶Verily I say to thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence till thou hast paid the last farthing.

²⁷Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt not commit adultery. ²⁸But I say unto you, that every one who looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹But if thy right eye be a snare to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell. ³⁰And if thy right hand be a snare to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell. ³¹It has been said too, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a letter of divorce. ³²But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for cause of fornication, makes her commit adultery, and whosoever marries one that is put away commits adultery.

³³Again, ye have heard that it has been said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt render to the Lord what thou hast sworn. ³⁴But I say unto you, Do not swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God; ³⁵nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. ³⁷But let your word be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; but what is more than these is from evil.

³⁸Ye have heard that it has been said, Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. ³⁹But I say unto you, not to resist evil; but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other; ⁴⁰and to him that would go to law with thee and take thy body coat, leave him thy cloak also. ⁴¹And whoever will compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴²To him that asks of thee give, and from him that desires to borrow of thee turn not away.

⁴³Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. ⁴⁴But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who insult you and persecute you, ⁴⁵that ye may be the sons of your Father who is in the heavens; for he makes his sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust. ⁴⁶For if ye should love those who love you, what reward have ye? Do not also the tax-gatherers the same? ⁴⁷And if ye should salute your brethren only, what do ye extraordinary? Do not also the Gentiles the same? ⁴⁸Be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Chapter 6

¹Take heed not to do your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. ²When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ³But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does; ⁴so that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render it to thee.

⁵And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets so that they should appear to men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ⁶But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render it to thee. ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as those who are of the nations: for they think they shall be heard through their much speaking. ⁸Be not ye therefore like them, for your Father knows of what things ye have need before ye beg anything of him.

⁹Thus therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in the heavens, let thy name be sanctified, ¹⁰let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth; ^11…