Matthew 5–7

Jesus Gives Blessings

5Jesus saw the crowds. So he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him. ²Then he began to teach them.

He said,

³“Blessed are those who are spiritually needy.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

⁴Blessed are those who are sad.

They will be comforted.

⁵Blessed are those who are free of pride.

They will be given the earth.

⁶Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for what is right.

They will be filled.

⁷Blessed are those who show mercy.

They will be shown mercy.

⁸Blessed are those whose hearts are pure.

They will see God.

⁹Blessed are those who make peace.

They will be called sons of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who suffer for doing what is right.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people make fun of you and hurt you because of me. You are also blessed when they tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. ¹²Be joyful and glad. Your reward in heaven is great. In the same way, people hurt the prophets who lived long ago.

Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But suppose the salt loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything. It will be thrown out. People will walk all over it.

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden. ¹⁵Also, people do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand. Then it gives light to everyone in the house.

¹⁶“In the same way, let your light shine in front of others. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will praise your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus Gives Full Meaning to the Law

¹⁷“Do not think I have come to get rid of what is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do that. Instead, I have come to give full meaning to what is written. ¹⁸What I’m about to tell you is true. Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter disappears from the Law. Not even the smallest stroke of a pen will disappear from the Law until everything is completed.

¹⁹“Do not break even one of the least important commandments. And do not teach others to break them. If you do, you will be called the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. Instead, practice and teach these commands. Then you will be called important in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰“Here is what I tell you. You must be more godly than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. If you are not, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

²¹“You have heard what was said to people who lived long ago. They were told, ‘Do not commit murder. Anyone who murders will be judged for it.’ ²²But here is what I tell you. Do not be angry with your brother. Anyone who is angry with his brother will be judged. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ must stand trial in the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire in hell.

²³“Suppose you are offering your gift at the altar. And you remember that your brother has something against you. ²⁴Leave your gift in front of the altar. First go and make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift.

²⁵“Suppose someone has a claim against you and is taking you to court. Settle the matter quickly. Do it while you are still with him on your way. If you don’t, he may hand you over to the judge. The judge may hand you over to the officer. And you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶What I’m about to tell you is true. You will not get out until you have paid the very last penny!

Adultery

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But here is what I tell you. Do not even look at a woman in the wrong way. Anyone who does has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

²⁹“If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. Your eye is only one part of your body. It is better to lose it than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

³⁰“If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Your hand is only one part of your body. It is better to lose it than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

³¹“It has been said, ‘Suppose a man divorces his wife. If he does, he must give her a letter of divorce.’ ³²But here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who gets married to the divorced woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him.

Oaths

³³“Again, you have heard what was said to your people long ago. They were told, ‘Do not break the promises you make to the Lord. Keep the oaths you have made to him.’ ³⁴But here is what I tell you. Do not make any promises like that at all. Do not make them in the name of heaven. That is God’s throne. ³⁵Do not make them in the name of the earth. That is the stool for God’s feet. Do not make them in the name of Jerusalem. That is the city of the Great King. ³⁶And do not take an oath in the name of your head. You can’t make even one hair white or black.

³⁷“Just let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes.’ Let your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Be Kind to Others

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be knocked out for a tooth.’ ³⁹But here is what I tell you. Do not fight against an evil person.

“Suppose someone hits you on your right cheek. Turn your other cheek to him also. ⁴⁰Suppose someone takes you to court to get your shirt. Let him have your coat also. ⁴¹Suppose someone forces you to go one mile. Go two miles with him.

⁴²“Give to the one who asks you for something. Don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow something from you.

Love Your Enemies

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor. Hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But here is what I tell you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. ⁴⁵Then you will be sons of your Father who is in heaven.

“He causes his sun to shine on evil people and good people. He sends rain on those who do right and those who don’t.

⁴⁶“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Even the tax collectors do that. ⁴⁷If you greet only your own people, what more are you doing than others? Even people who are ungodly do that. ⁴⁸So be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Giving to Needy People

6“Be careful not to do ‘good works’ in front of others. Don’t do them to be seen by others. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you.

²“When you give to needy people, do not announce it by having trumpets blown. Do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They announce what they do in the synagogues and on the streets. They want to be honored by others. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

³“When you give to the needy, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴Then your giving will be done secretly. Your Father will reward you. He sees what you do secretly.

Prayer

⁵“When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They want to be seen by others. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

⁶“When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can’t be seen. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly.

⁷“When you pray, do not keep talking on and on the way ungodly people do. They think they will be heard because they talk a lot. ⁸Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.

⁹“This is how you should pray.

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

may your name be honored.

¹⁰May your kingdom come.

May what you want to happen be done

on earth as it is done in heaven.

¹¹Give us today our daily bread.

¹²Forgive us our sins,

just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

¹³Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted.

Save us from the evil one.’

¹⁴“Forgive people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

¹⁶“When you go without eating, do not look gloomy like those who only pretend to be holy. They make their faces very sad. They want to show people they are fasting. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

¹⁷“But when you go without eating, put olive oil on your head. Wash your face. ¹⁸Then others will not know that you are fasting. Only your Father, who can’t be seen, will know it. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly.

Put Away Riches in Heaven

¹⁹“Do not put away riches for yourselves on earth. Moths and rust can destroy them. Thieves can break in and steal them. ²⁰Instead, put away riches for yourselves in heaven. There, moths and rust do not destroy them. There, thieves do not break in and steal them. ²¹Your heart will be where your riches are.

²²“The eye is like a lamp for the body. Suppose your eyes are good. Then your whole body will be full of light. ²³But suppose your eyes are bad. Then your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is darkness, then it is very dark!

²⁴“No one can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one of them and love the other. Or he will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can’t serve God and Money at the same time.

Do Not Worry

²⁵“I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes?

²⁶“Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?

²⁷“Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying?

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work or make clothing. ²⁹But…