¹²On one of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. ¹³When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and made them apostles.

¹⁴Simon was one of them. Jesus gave him the name Peter. There were also Simon’s brother Andrew, James, John, Philip and Bartholomew. ¹⁵And there were Matthew, Thomas, and James, son of Alphaeus. There were also Simon who was called the Zealot ¹⁶and Judas, son of James. Judas Iscariot was one of them too. He was the one who would later hand Jesus over to his enemies.

Jesus Gives Blessings and Warnings

¹⁷Jesus went down the mountain with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there. A large number of other people were there too. They came from all over Judea, including Jerusalem. They also came from the coast of Tyre and Sidon.

¹⁸They had all come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses. People who were troubled by evil spirits were made well. ¹⁹Everyone tried to touch Jesus. Power was coming from him and healing them all.

²⁰Jesus looked at his disciples. He said to them,

“Blessed are you who are needy.

God’s kingdom belongs to you.

²¹Blessed are you who are hungry now.

You will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who are sad now.

You will laugh.

²²Blessed are you when people hate you,

when they have nothing to do with you

and say bad things about you,

and when they treat your name as something evil.

They do all this because you are followers of the Son of Man.

²³“Their people treated the prophets the same way long ago. When these things happen to you, be glad and jump for joy. You will receive many blessings in heaven.

²⁴“But how terrible it will be for you who are rich!

You have already had your easy life.

²⁵How terrible for you who are well fed now!

You will go hungry.

How terrible for you who laugh now!

You will cry and be sad.

²⁶How terrible for you when everyone says good things about you!

Their people treated the false prophets the same way long ago.

Love Your Enemies

²⁷“But here is what I tell you who hear me. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸Bless those who call down curses on you. And pray for those who treat you badly.

²⁹“Suppose someone hits you on one cheek. Turn your other cheek to him also. Suppose someone takes your coat. Don’t stop him from taking your shirt.

³⁰“Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, don’t ask to get it back. ³¹Do to others as you want them to do to you.

³²“Suppose you love those who love you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. ³³And suppose you do good to those who are good to you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even ‘sinners’ do that. ³⁴And suppose you lend money to those who can pay you back. Should anyone praise you for that? Even a ‘sinner’ lends to ‘sinners,’ expecting them to pay everything back.

³⁵“But love your enemies. Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will receive a lot in return. And you will be sons of the Most High God. He is kind to people who are evil and are not thankful. ³⁶So have mercy, just as your Father has mercy.

Be Fair When You Judge Others

³⁷“If you do not judge others, then you will not be judged. If you do not find others guilty, then you will not be found guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you.”

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