⁷ “If there is ^(A)a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your ^[a]towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, ^(B)you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; ⁸ but ^(C)you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. ⁹ Beware that there is no base ^[b]thought in your heart, saying, ‘^(D)The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and ^(E)your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he ^(F)may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. ¹⁰ You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because ^(G)for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all ^[c]your undertakings. ^11 (H)For the poor will never cease to be ^[d]in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

^34 (A)If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. ³⁵ But ^(B)love your enemies, and do good, and lend, ^[a]expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be ^(C)sons of ^(D)the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. ^36 [b]Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷ “^(E)Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; ^[c](F)pardon, and you will be pardoned. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. They will ^[d]pour ^(G)into your lap a ^(H)good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

³⁹ And He also spoke a parable to them: “^(I)A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? ^40 (J)A ^[e]pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will ^[f]be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. ^43 (K)For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, ^[g]on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. ^44 (L)For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. ^45 (M)The good man out of the good ^[h]treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; ^(N)for his mouth speaks from ^[i]that which fills his heart.

Builders and Foundations

⁴⁶ “^(O)Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ^47 (P)Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and ^[j]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who ^[k]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the ^[l]torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the ^[m]torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

¹⁸ Instruct them to do good, to be rich in ^(A)good ^[a]works, ^(B)to be generous and ready to share,