Matthew 5

The Beatitudes

Luke 6:20–26

5And seeing the multitudes, ^aHe went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ²Then He opened His mouth and ^btaught them, saying:

³“Blessed ^care the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^4dBlessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

^5eBlessed are the meek,

For ^fthey shall inherit the ¹earth.

⁶Blessed are those who ^ghunger and thirst for righteousness,

^hFor they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful,

ⁱFor they shall obtain mercy.

^8jBlessed are the pure in heart,

For ^kthey shall see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

^10lBlessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^11m“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of ⁿevil against you falsely for My sake. ^12oRejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for ^pso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Similitudes

¹³“You are the salt of the earth; ^qbut if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

^14r“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do they ^slight a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, ^tthat they may see your good works and ^uglorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus Fulfills the Law

^17v“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸For assuredly, I say to you, ^wtill heaven and earth pass away, one ²jot or one ³tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ^19xWhoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds ^ythe righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those ⁴of old, ^z‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that ^awhoever is angry with his brother ⁵without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ^b‘Raca!’ ⁶shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ⁷‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of ⁸hell fire. ²³Therefore ^cif you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ^24dleave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ^25eAgree with your adversary quickly, ^fwhile you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Adultery

²⁷“You have heard that it was said ⁹to those of old, ^g‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that whoever ^hlooks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ⁱIf your right eye causes you to ¹sin, ^jpluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to ²sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Divorce

³¹“Furthermore it has been said, ^k‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I say to you that ^lwhoever divorces his wife for any reason except ³sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Oaths

³³“Again you have heard that ^mit was said to those of ⁴old, ⁿ‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^oshall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say to you, ^pdo not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is ^qGod’s throne; ³⁵nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of ^rthe great King. ³⁶Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ^37sBut let ⁵your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Retaliation

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ^t‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ^39uBut I tell you not to resist an evil person. ^vBut whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹And whoever ^wcompels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴²Give to him who asks you, and ^xfrom him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love

Luke 6:27, 32

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ^y‘You shall love your neighbor ^zand hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴⁶But I say to you, ^alove your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^bdo good to those who hate you, and pray ^cfor those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^dHe makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46eFor if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet your ⁷brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the ⁸tax collectors do so? ^48fTherefore you shall be perfect, just ^gas your Father in heaven is perfect.