Matteo 7
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
Non giudicare
7 Non giudicate, per non essere giudicati; 2 perché col giudizio con cui giudicate sarete giudicati, e con la misura con la quale misurate sarete misurati. 3 Perché osservi la pagliuzza nell'occhio del tuo fratello, mentre non ti accorgi della trave che hai nel tuo occhio? 4 O come potrai dire al tuo fratello: permetti che tolga la pagliuzza dal tuo occhio, mentre nell'occhio tuo c'è la trave? 5 Ipocrita, togli prima la trave dal tuo occhio e poi ci vedrai bene per togliere la pagliuzza dall'occhio del tuo fratello.
Non profanare le cose sante
6 Non date le cose sante ai cani e non gettate le vostre perle davanti ai porci, perché non le calpestino con le loro zampe e poi si voltino per sbranarvi.
Efficacia della preghiera
7 Chiedete e vi sarà dato; cercate e troverete; bussate e vi sarà aperto; 8 perché chiunque chiede riceve, e chi cerca trova e a chi bussa sarà aperto. 9 Chi tra di voi al figlio che gli chiede un pane darà una pietra? 10 O se gli chiede un pesce, darà una serpe? 11 Se voi dunque che siete cattivi sapete dare cose buone ai vostri figli, quanto più il Padre vostro che è nei cieli darà cose buone a quelli che gliele domandano!
La regola d'oro
12 Tutto quanto volete che gli uomini facciano a voi, anche voi fatelo a loro: questa infatti è la Legge ed i Profeti.
Le due vie
13 Entrate per la porta stretta, perché larga è la porta e spaziosa la via che conduce alla perdizione, e molti sono quelli che entrano per essa; 14 quanto stretta invece è la porta e angusta la via che conduce alla vita, e quanto pochi sono quelli che la trovano!
I falsi profeti
15 Guardatevi dai falsi profeti che vengono a voi in veste di pecore, ma dentro son lupi rapaci. 16 Dai loro frutti li riconoscerete. Si raccoglie forse uva dalle spine, o fichi dai rovi? 17 Così ogni albero buono produce frutti buoni e ogni albero cattivo produce frutti cattivi; 18 un albero buono non può produrre frutti cattivi, né un albero cattivo produrre frutti buoni. 19 Ogni albero che non produce frutti buoni viene tagliato e gettato nel fuoco. 20 Dai loro frutti dunque li potrete riconoscere.
I veri discepoli
21 Non chiunque mi dice: Signore, Signore, entrerà nel regno dei cieli, ma colui che fa la volontà del Padre mio che è nei cieli. 22 Molti mi diranno in quel giorno: Signore, Signore, non abbiamo noi profetato nel tuo nome e cacciato demòni nel tuo nome e compiuto molti miracoli nel tuo nome? 23 Io però dichiarerò loro: Non vi ho mai conosciuti; allontanatevi da me, voi operatori di iniquità.
24 Perciò chiunque ascolta queste mie parole e le mette in pratica, è simile a un uomo saggio che ha costruito la sua casa sulla roccia. 25 Cadde la pioggia, strariparono i fiumi, soffiarono i venti e si abbatterono su quella casa, ed essa non cadde, perché era fondata sopra la roccia. 26 Chiunque ascolta queste mie parole e non le mette in pratica, è simile a un uomo stolto che ha costruito la sua casa sulla sabbia. 27 Cadde la pioggia, strariparono i fiumi, soffiarono i venti e si abbatterono su quella casa, ed essa cadde, e la sua rovina fu grande».
Stupore della folla
28 Quando Gesù ebbe finito questi discorsi, le folle restarono stupite del suo insegnamento: 29 egli infatti insegnava loro come uno che ha autorità e non come i loro scribi.
Matthew 7
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 7
Do Not Judge.[a] 1 “Do not judge, so that you in turn may not be judged. 2 For you will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the measure that you use for others will be used to measure you.
3 “Why do you take note of the splinter in your brother’s eye but do not notice the wooden plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while all the time the wooden plank remains in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the wooden plank from your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly enough to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.
Do Not Profane Sacred Things.[b] 6 “Do not give to dogs anything that is holy. And do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and then proceed to tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock.[c] 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks will receive, and those who seek will find, and to those who knock the door will be opened.
9 “Is there anyone among you who would give a stone to his son if he asks for bread, 10 or hand him a snake if he asks for a fish? 11 If you then, despite your evil nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 The Golden Rule of Love.[d]“In everything, deal with others as you would like them to deal with you. This is the Law and the Prophets.
13 The Two Ways.[e]“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and those who find it are few in number.
15 False Prophets and True Disciples.[f]“Be on guard against false prophets who come to you disguised in sheep’s clothing, but who inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Does one pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. 22 Many will say to me on that day,[g] ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers!’
24 The Wise and Foolish Builders.[h]“Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts in accordance with them will be like a wise man who constructed his house on a rock foundation. 25 The rain came down, the flood waters rose, and fierce winds battered that house. However, it did not collapse, because it had its foundations on rock.
26 “In contrast, everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act in accordance with them will be like a fool who constructed his house on a foundation of sand. 27 The rain came down, the flood waters rose, and the winds blew and buffeted that house. And it collapsed with a great crash.”
28 The Authority of Jesus.[i] When Jesus had finished this discourse, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29 because he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Footnotes
- Matthew 7:1 Those who judge others separate themselves from their neighbors; those who love them are completely present to their neighbors. God has not given us consciences to judge others but to judge ourselves.
- Matthew 7:6 Jesus stresses the point that teaching should be given in accordance with the spiritual capacity of the learners. Dogs: unclean dogs of the street were held in low esteem.
- Matthew 7:7 To acknowledge God as Father one must have the audacity to pray and the certitude that this appeal is not in vain, for the disciple seeks the One whom he knows as Love.
- Matthew 7:12 Here in a word is what one must retain of the Law and the Prophets, i.e., the Old Testament: to have for others the same concern one has for oneself, out of love for God. This so-called Golden Rule is found in negative form in rabbinic Judaism as well as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
- Matthew 7:13 In Jewish literature, we often encounter this doctrine of the “two ways”; it is also found in the Didache and the Epistle to Barnabas. It is a way of enabling the reader to choose for God. It means that one does not enter the kingdom except by a conversion of life—the choice to follow Jesus.
- Matthew 7:15 There will always be impostors to exploit religious sentiments and the Gospel itself for advancement of their own ideas, their own persons, and their own circle. Jesus offers a criterion to discern true disciples: do their lives, attitudes, and comportment bear witness to the spirit of Jesus?
- Matthew 7:22 On that day: i.e., on the day of judgment; Jesus speaks of himself as the final judge of human beings (see Mt 25:32-46).
- Matthew 7:24 Jesus calls for obedience to his Word: those who build their lives on the Gospel are united with Christ, and nothing else can provide meaning and force to a human life in the always unforeseen elaboration of problems and events.
- Matthew 7:28 These two verses constitute the formula with which the evangelist concludes each of the five great discourses of Jesus. Verse 29 expresses the newness of the Gospel teaching. The scribes based their teaching on the Scriptures and on the instructions of their teachers. Jesus, on the other hand, speaks as a supreme legislator who has power to modify even the Scriptures.
Jesus’ astounding authority is not that of religious tradition; it radiates from his person. He himself incarnates this “new justice,” this new mode of living and thinking that he teaches and establishes among human beings. Jesus’ listeners could easily see the great difference between the kind of teaching of the scribes and Pharisees and that of Jesus with its total confidence and power.
Matthew 7
21st Century King James Version
7 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, ‘Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye,’ and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
6 “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 “Or what man is there among you whom, if his son ask for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him?
12 Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat.
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.
20 Therefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 “Not every one that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in Heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that Day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’
23 And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.’
24 “Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.
25 And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand;
27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine;
29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
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