Matthew 7

Do Not Judge

7“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. ^a2For with the judgment you use, ^byou will be judged, and with the measure you use, ^cit will be measured to you. ^d3Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? ^e4Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? ⁵Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. ⁶Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, ^for they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.

Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking

⁷“Keep asking, ^ghand it will be given to you. ⁱKeep searching, ^jand you will find. Keep knocking, ^kand the door ^lwill be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, ^mand to the one who knocks, the door ⁿwill be opened. ⁹What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you then, who are evil, ^oknow how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ¹²Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them—this is the Law and the Prophets. ^pq

Entering the Kingdom

¹³“Enter through the narrow gate. ^rFor the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, ^sand there are many who go through it. ¹⁴How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

¹⁵“Beware of false prophets ^twho come to you in sheep’s ^uclothing ^vbut inwardly are ravaging wolves. ^w16You’ll recognize them by their fruit. ^xAre grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ^y17In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ^z20So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. ^a

²¹“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, ^bbut only the one who does the will ^cof My Father in heaven. ^d22On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons ^ein Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ ^f23Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’ ^ghi

The Two Foundations

²⁴“Therefore, ^jeveryone who hears these words ^kof Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!”

²⁸When Jesus had finished this sermon, ^lmthe crowds were astonished at His teaching, ⁿ²⁹because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.