Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount

5When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, ^qand after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ²Then ^rHe began to teach them, saying: ^s

The Beatitudes

³“The poor in spirit are blessed, ^t

for the kingdom of heaven ^uis theirs.

⁴Those who mourn are blessed, ^v

for they will be comforted.

⁵The gentle are blessed, ^w

for they will inherit the earth.

⁶Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, ^x

for they will be filled.

⁷The merciful are blessed,

for they will be shown mercy. ^y

⁸The pure in heart are blessed,

for they will see God. ^z

⁹The peacemakers are blessed,

for they will be called sons of God. ^a

¹⁰Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,

for the kingdom of heaven ^bis theirs.

¹¹“You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. ¹²Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted ^cthe prophets who were before you. ^d

Believers Are Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. ^e

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. ^f15No one lights a lamp ^gand puts it under a basket, ^hbut rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. ⁱ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine ^jbefore men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. ^k

Christ Fulfills the Law

¹⁷“Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ^l18For ^•I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter ^mor one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ⁿ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the ^•scribes and ^•Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder Begins in the Heart

²¹“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, ^oDo not murder, ^pqand whoever murders will be subject to judgment. ^r22But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother ^swill be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ ^twill be subject to the ^•Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to ^•hellfire. ^uv23So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the judge to ^wthe officer, and you will be thrown into prison. ^x26I assure you: You will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny! ^y

Adultery in the Heart

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. ^za28But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ^b29If your right eye ^•causes you to sin, ^cgouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ^d30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!

Divorce Practices Censured

³¹“It was also said, Whoever divorces ^ehis wife must give her a written notice of divorce. ^fg32But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, ^hcauses her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ⁱ

Tell the Truth

³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, ^jYou must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. ^kl34But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; ³⁵or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. ^m36Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ ⁿAnything more than this is from the evil one. ^o

Go the Second Mile

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ^pq39But I tell you, don’t resist ^ran evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ^s40As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, ^tlet him have your coat ^uas well. ⁴¹And if anyone forces ^vyou to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴²Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ^w

Love Your Enemies

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor ^xyand hate your enemy. ⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies ^zand pray for those who ^apersecute you, ^b45so that you may be ^csons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ^d46For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your ^•brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? ^efDon’t even the Gentiles ^gdo the same? ⁴⁸Be perfect, ^htherefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.