Matthew 7-8 (Amplified Bible)

Matthew 7

 ¹DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.

    ²For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

    ³Why do you ^[a]stare from without at the ^[b]very small particle that is in your brother's eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam ^[c]of timber that is in your own eye?

    ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam ^[d]of timber in your own eye?

    ⁵You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye.

    ⁶Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.

    ^7[e]Keep on asking and it will be given you; ^[f] keep on seeking and you will find; ^[g]keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.

    ⁸For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.

    ⁹Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone?

    ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent?

    ¹¹If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and ^[h]advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and ^[i]advantageous things to those who ^[j]keep on asking Him!

    ¹²So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets.

    ¹³Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.

    ¹⁴But the gate is narrow (contracted ^[k]by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.^(A)

    ¹⁵Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.^(B)

    ¹⁶You will ^[l]fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

    ¹⁷Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit [^[m]worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit.

    ¹⁸A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear ^[n]excellent fruit [worthy of admiration].

    ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

    ²⁰Therefore, you will ^[o]fully know them by their fruits.

    ²¹Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.

    ²²Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?

    ²³And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].^(C)

    ²⁴So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a ^[p]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.

    ²⁵And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

    ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.

    ²⁷And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great and complete was the fall of it.

    ²⁸When Jesus had finished these sayings [the Sermon on the Mount], the crowds were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His teaching,

    ²⁹For He was teaching as One Who had [and was] authority, and not as [did] the scribes.

   

Matthew 8

 ¹WHEN JESUS came down from the mountain, great throngs followed Him.

    ²And behold, a leper came up to Him and, prostrating himself, worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to ^[q]cleanse me by curing me.

    ³And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed ^[r]by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed.

    ⁴And Jesus said to him, See that you tell nothing about this to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony [to your healing] and as an evidence to the people.^(D)

    ⁵As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him,

    ⁶And saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and ^[s]distressed with intense pains.

    ⁷And Jesus said to him, I will come and restore him.

    ⁸But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured.

    ⁹For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it.

    ¹⁰When Jesus heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him [^[t]who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming to His example in living and, if need be, in dying also], I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this ^[u]with anyone, even in Israel.

    ¹¹I tell you, many will come from east and west, and will sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

    ¹²While the sons and heirs of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.^(E)

    ¹³Then to the centurion Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the servant boy was restored to health at that very ^[v]moment.

    ¹⁴And when Jesus went into Peter's house, He saw his mother-in-law lying ill with a fever.

    ¹⁵He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and began waiting on Him.

    ¹⁶When evening came, they brought to Him many who were ^[w]under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick.

    ¹⁷And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [^[x]in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore ^[y]away our diseases.^(F)

    ¹⁸Now Jesus, when He saw the great throngs around Him, gave orders to cross to the other side [of the lake].

    ¹⁹And a scribe came up and said to Him, Master, I will accompany You wherever You go.

    ²⁰And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.

    ²¹Another of the disciples said to Him, Lord, let me first go and bury [^[z]care for till death] my father.

    ²²But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and leave the dead [^[aa]in sin] to bury their own dead.

    ²³And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

    ²⁴And ^[ab]suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.

    ²⁵And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!

    ²⁶And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (^[ac]a perfect peaceableness).

    ²⁷And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!

    ²⁸And when He arrived at the other side in the country of the Gadarenes, two men under the control of demons went to meet Him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce and savage that no one was able to pass that way.

    ²⁹And behold, they shrieked and screamed, What have You to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time?^(G)

    ³⁰Now at some distance from there a drove of many hogs was grazing.

    ³¹And the demons begged Him, If You drive us out, send us into the drove of hogs.

    ³²And He said to them, Begone! So they came out and went into the hogs, and behold, the whole drove rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water.

    ³³The herdsmen fled and went into the town and reported everything, including what had happened to the men under the power of demons.

    ³⁴And behold, the whole town went out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their locality.