The Altar of Burnt Offering^(A)

27 “Build an altar^(B) of acacia wood, three cubits^[a] high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.^{[b] 2} Make a horn^(C) at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. ³ Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls,^(D) meat forks and firepans.^{(E) 4} Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. ⁵ Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. ⁶ Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.^{(F) 7} The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried.^{(G) 8} Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown^(H) on the mountain.

The Courtyard^(I)

⁹ “Make a courtyard^(J) for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits^[c] long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, ¹⁰ with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹¹ The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

¹² “The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits^[d] wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. ¹³ On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. ¹⁴ Curtains fifteen cubits^[e] long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, ¹⁵ and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases.

¹⁶ “For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain^(K) twenty cubits^[f] long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer^(L)—with four posts and four bases. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. ¹⁸ The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide,^[g] with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits^[h] high, and with bronze bases. ¹⁹ All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

Oil for the Lampstand^(M)

²⁰ “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil^(N) of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. ²¹ In the tent of meeting,^(O) outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law,^(P) Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps^(Q) burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance^(R) among the Israelites for the generations to come.

The Priestly Garments

28 “Have Aaron^(S) your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu,^(T) Eleazar and Ithamar,^(U) so they may serve me as priests.^{(V) 2} Make sacred garments^(W) for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.^{(X) 3} Tell all the skilled workers^(Y) to whom I have given wisdom^(Z) in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. ⁴ These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece,^(AA) an ephod,^(AB) a robe,^(AC) a woven tunic,^(AD) a turban^(AE) and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. ⁵ Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.^(AF)

The Ephod^(AG)

⁶ “Make the ephod^(AH) of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. ⁷ It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. ⁸ Its skillfully woven waistband^(AI) is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen.

⁹ “Take two onyx stones and engrave^(AJ) on them the names of the sons of Israel ¹⁰ in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. ¹¹ Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings ¹² and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders^(AK) as a memorial^(AL) before the Lord. ¹³ Make gold filigree settings ¹⁴ and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece^(AM)

¹⁵ “Fashion a breastpiece^(AN) for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ¹⁶ It is to be square—a span^[i] long and a span wide—and folded double. ¹⁷ Then mount four rows of precious stones^(AO) on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite^(AP) and beryl; ¹⁸ the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; ¹⁹ the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; ²⁰ the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper.^[j] Mount them in gold filigree settings. ²¹ There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel,^(AQ) each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.^(AR)

²² “For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. ²³ Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. ²⁴ Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, ²⁵ and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. ²⁶ Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁷ Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. ²⁸ The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod.

²⁹ “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place,^(AS) he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. ³⁰ Also put the Urim and the Thummim^(AT) in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

Other Priestly Garments^(AU)

³¹ “Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, ³² with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar^[k] around this opening, so that it will not tear. ³³ Make pomegranates^(AV) of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. ³⁴ The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

³⁶ “Make a plate^(AW) of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord.^{(AX) 37} Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. ³⁸ It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt^(AY) involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable^(AZ) to the Lord.

³⁹ “Weave the tunic^(BA) of fine linen and make the turban^(BB) of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. ⁴⁰ Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons^(BC) to give them dignity and honor.^{(BD) 41} After you put these clothes^(BE) on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint^(BF) and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.^(BG)

⁴² “Make linen undergarments^(BH) as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. ⁴³ Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting^(BI) or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place,^(BJ) so that they will not incur guilt and die.^(BK)

“This is to be a lasting ordinance^(BL) for Aaron and his descendants.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King^(A)(B)

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,^(C) Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill^(D) what was spoken through the prophet:

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks^(F) on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet^(J) from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus at the Temple^(K)

¹² Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying^(L) and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers^(M) and the benches of those selling doves.^{(N) 13} “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’^[e](O) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’^[f]”^(P)

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.^{(Q) 15} But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,”^(R) they were indignant.^(S)

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

¹⁷ And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,^(U) where he spent the night.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree^(V)

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.^(W)

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,^(X) not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for^(Y) in prayer.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned^(Z)

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority^(AA) are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”^(AB)

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’^(AC)

²⁹ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors^(AD) and the prostitutes^(AE) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,^(AF) and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors^(AG) and the prostitutes^(AH) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent^(AI) and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants^(AJ)

³³ “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted^(AK) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.^(AL) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.^{(AM) 34} When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants^(AN) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.^{(AO) 36} Then he sent other servants^(AP) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.^(AQ) Come, let’s kill him^(AR) and take his inheritance.’^{(AS) 39} So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”^(AT) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,^(AU) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you^(AW) and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^[i](AX)

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.^(AY)

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah^(A)(B)(C)

1 This is the genealogy^[a] of Jesus the Messiah^[b] the son of David,^(D) the son of Abraham:^(E)

¹⁷ Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.^{(S) 19} Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce^(T) her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel^(U) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream^(V) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[f](W) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(X)

²² All this took place to fulfill^(Y) what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[g](Z) (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel^(AA) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.^(AB)

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,^(AC) during the time of King Herod,^(AD) Magi^[h] from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?^(AE) We saw his star^(AF) when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem^(AG) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.^(AI) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts^(AJ) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned^(AK) in a dream^(AL) not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ When they had gone, an angel^(AM) of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.^(AN) “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”^(AO)

¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled^(AP) what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”^[j](AQ)

¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:^(AR)

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹ After Herod died, an angel^(AU) of the Lord appeared in a dream^(AV) to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰ and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”^(AW)

²¹ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream,^(AX) he withdrew to the district of Galilee,^{(AY) 23} and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.^(AZ) So was fulfilled^(BA) what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.^(BB)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(BC)

3 In those days John the Baptist^(BD) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven^(BE) has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

⁴ John’s^(BG) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.^(BH) His food was locusts^(BI) and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized^(BJ) by him in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!^(BK) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^{(BL) 8} Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.^{(BM) 9} And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(BN) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(BO)

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[m] water for repentance.^(BP) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with^[n] the Holy Spirit^(BQ) and fire.^{(BR) 12} His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(BS)

The Baptism of Jesus^(BT)

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.^{(BU) 14} But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened,^(BV) and he saw the Spirit of God^(BW) descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven^(BX) said, “This is my Son,^(BY) whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”^(BZ)

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness^(CA)

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted^[o](CB) by the devil.^{(CC) 2} After fasting forty days and forty nights,^(CD) he was hungry. ³ The tempter^(CE) came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God,^(CF) tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’^[p]”^(CG)

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city^(CH) and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,”^(CI) he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[r]”^(CK)

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!^(CL) For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’^[s]”^(CM)

¹¹ Then the devil left him,^(CN) and angels came and attended him.^(CO)

Jesus Begins to Preach

¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,^(CP) he withdrew to Galilee.^{(CQ) 13} Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum,^(CR) which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill^(CS) what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven^(CU) has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples^(CV)

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,^(CW) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter^(CX) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,”^(CY) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.^(CZ)

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.^(DA) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.^(DB)

Jesus Heals the Sick

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee,^(DC) teaching in their synagogues,^(DD) proclaiming the good news^(DE) of the kingdom,^(DF) and healing every disease and sickness among the people.^{(DG) 24} News about him spread all over Syria,^(DH) and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,^(DI) those having seizures,^(DJ) and the paralyzed;^(DK) and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,^[u] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.^(DL)

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

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

The Beatitudes^(DM)

He said:

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you,^(DY) persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.^{(DZ) 12} Rejoice and be glad,^(EA) because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.^(EB)

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.^(EC)

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world.^(ED) A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.^{(EE) 16} In the same way, let your light shine before others,^(EF) that they may see your good deeds^(EG) and glorify^(EH) your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.^{(EI) 18} For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.^{(EJ) 19} Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands^(EK) and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.^(EL)

Murder^(EM)

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[v](EN) and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry^(EO) with a brother or sister^[w][x] will be subject to judgment.^(EP) Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’^[y] is answerable to the court.^(EQ) And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.^(ER)

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Adultery

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’^{[z](ES) 28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.^{(ET) 29} If your right eye causes you to stumble,^(EU) gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble,^(EV) cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’^{[aa](EW) 32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.^(EX)

Oaths

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath,^(EY) but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’^{(EZ) 34} But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all:^(FA) either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;^{(FB) 35} or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.^{(FC) 36} And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;^(FD) anything beyond this comes from the evil one.^[ab](FE)

Eye for Eye

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’^{[ac](FF) 39} But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.^{(FG) 40} And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.^(FH)

Love for Enemies

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[ad](FI) and hate your enemy.’^{(FJ) 44} But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,^{(FK) 45} that you may be children^(FL) of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.^{(FM) 46} If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?^(FN) Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.^(FO)

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.^(FP) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.