The Sermon on the Mount

5 Seeing the crowds, ^(A)he went up on the mountain, and when he ^(B)sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

² And ^(C)he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

^3 (D)“Blessed are ^(E)the poor in spirit, for ^(F)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are ^(G)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the ^(H)meek, for they ^(I)shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and ^(J)thirst ^(K)for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are ^(L)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are ^(M)the pure in heart, for ^(N)they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are ^(O)the peacemakers, for ^(P)they shall be called ^(Q)sons^[a] of God.

^10 (R)“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for ^(S)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^11 (T)“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ^(U)on my account. ^12 (V)Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for ^(W)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, ^(X)but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

^14 (Y)“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ^15 (Z)Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ^(AA)that^[b] they may see your good works and ^(AB)give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The Golden Rule

¹² “So ^(A)whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is ^(B)the Law and the Prophets.

^13 (C)“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy^[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and ^(D)the way is hard that leads to life, and ^(E)those who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

^15 (F)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ^(G)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them ^(H)by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, ^(I)every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ^19 (J)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them ^(K)by their fruits.

I Never Knew You

^21 (L)“Not everyone who ^(M)says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^(N)enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^(O)does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ^22 (P)On that day ^(Q)many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not ^(R)prophesy in your name, and cast out demons ^(S)in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ^23 (T)And then will I declare to them, ‘I ^(U)never knew you; ^(V)depart from me, ^(W)you workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

^24 (X)“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like ^(Y)a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like ^(Z)a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked