Matthew 4–12

The Testing of Jesus

⁴Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. ²He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished.^{* 3}The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”^{* 4}But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”^*

⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,^{* 6}saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”^*

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”^*

⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, ⁹and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.’ ”^*

¹¹Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.^*

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee

¹²Now when Jesus^c heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

¹⁵“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,

on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—^*

¹⁶the people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death

light has dawned.”^*

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”^d*

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

¹⁸As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers.^{* 19}And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him.^{* 21}As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People

²³Jesus^e went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news^f of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.^{* 24}So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, people possessed by demons or having epilepsy or afflicted with paralysis, and he cured them.^{* 25}And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.^*

The Beatitudes

⁵When Jesus^g saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.^{* 2}And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.^*

⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.^*

⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.^*

⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.^*

⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.^*

¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.^*

¹¹“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely^h on my account.^{* 12}Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.^*

Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.^*

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.^{* 15}People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.^{* 16}In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.^*

The Law and the Prophets

¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.^{* 18}For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,ⁱ not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.^{* 19}Therefore, whoever breaks^j one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.^{* 20}For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Concerning Anger

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’^{* 22}But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,^k you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult^l a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell^m of fire.^{* 23}So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,^{* 24}leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to courtⁿ with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.^{* 26}Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Concerning Adultery

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

Concerning Divorce

³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’^{* 32}But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Concerning Oaths

³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’^{* 34}But I say to you: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,^{* 35}or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.^s

Concerning Retaliation

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’^{* 39}But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also,^{* 40}and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, ⁴¹and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. ⁴²Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.^*

Love for Enemies

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’^{* 44}But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,^{* 45}so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.^{* 46}For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.^*

Concerning Almsgiving

⁶“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.^*

²“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.^{* 3}But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.^t*

Concerning Prayer

⁵“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.^{* 6}But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.^u*

⁷“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.^{* 8}Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹“Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be revered as holy.

¹⁰May your kingdom come.

May your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.^*

¹¹Give us today our daily…