Matthew 5–7

The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

5Now when he^* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and after he^* sat down, his disciples approached him. ²And opening his mouth he began to teach them, saying,

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are the ones who mourn,

because they will be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the meek,

because they will inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

because they will be satisfied.

⁷Blessed are the merciful,

because they will be shown mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,

because they will see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,

because they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed are you

when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying on account of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

The Sermon on the Mount: Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, by what will it be made salty? It is good for nothing any longer except to be thrown outside and^* trampled under foot by people. ¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city located on top of a hill cannot be hidden, ¹⁵nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house. ¹⁶In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount: The Law and the Prophets Fulfilled

¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one tiny letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all takes place. ¹⁹Therefore whoever abolishes one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps them and teaches them, this person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I say to you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount: Anger Toward Others

²¹“You have heard that it was said to the people of old,^a ‘Do not commit murder,’^b and ‘whoever commits murder will be subject to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that everyone who is angry at his brother will be subject to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Stupid fool!’^c will be subject to the council, and whoever says, ‘Obstinate fool!’^d will be subject to fiery hell. ²³Therefore if you present your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and first go be reconciled to your brother, and then come and^* present your gift. ²⁵Settle the case quickly with your accuser^e while you are with him on the way, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I say to you, you will never come out of there until you have paid back the last penny!

The Sermon on the Mount: Adultery and Lust

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’^{f 28}But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell.

The Sermon on the Mount: Divorce

³¹“And it was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’^{g 32}But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for a matter of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The Sermon on the Mount: Taking Oaths

³³“Again you have heard that it was said to the people of old,^h ‘Do not swear falsely,ⁱ but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’^{j 34}But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. ³⁷But let your statement be ‘Yes, yes; no, no,’ and anything beyond these is from the evil one.^k

The Sermon on the Mount: Retaliation

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’^{l 39}But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer, but whoever strikes you on the right cheek,^m turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰And the one who wants to go to court with you and take your tunic, let him haveⁿ your outer garment also. ⁴¹And whoever forces you to go one mile,^o go with him two. ⁴²Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

The Sermon on the Mount: Love for Enemies

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’^p and ‘Hate your enemy.’^{q 44}But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that is remarkable? Do not the Gentiles also do the same? ⁴⁸Therefore you be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Sermon on the Mount: Charitable Giving

6“And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; otherwise^a you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ²Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! ³But you, when you^* practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴in order that your charitable giving may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Sermon on the Mount: How to Pray

⁵And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and^* pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! ⁶But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door and^* pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷“But when you^* pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard. ⁸Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need^b before you ask him. ⁹Therefore you pray in this way:

“Our Father who is in heaven,

may your name be treated as holy.

¹⁰May your kingdom come,

may your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us today our daily bread,

¹²and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³And do not bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.^c

¹⁴For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

The Sermon on the Mount: How to Fast

¹⁶“Whenever you fast, do not be sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unrecognizable in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! ¹⁷But when^* you are fasting, put olive oil on your head^d and wash your face ¹⁸so that you will not be seen by people as fasting, but to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Sermon on the Mount: Treasure in Heaven

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and consuming insect^e destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor consuming insect^f destroy and where thieves do not break in or steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore if your eye is sincere, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴“No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money.^g

The Sermon on the Mount: Anxiety

²⁵“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat,^h and not for your body, what you will wear. Is your life not more than food and your body more than clothing? ²⁶Consider the birds of the sky, that they do not sow or reap or gather produce into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? ²⁷And who among you, by^* being anxious, is able to add one hourⁱ to his life span? ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not toil or spin, ²⁹but I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. ³⁰But if God dresses the grass of the field in this way, although it^* is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not do so much more for you, you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying,…