Matthew 5:17–37

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