Isaiah 57:14-21

English Standard Version

Comfort for the Contrite

¹⁴And it shall be said,
^(A)“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
    remove every obstruction from my people's way.”
¹⁵For thus says ^(B)the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is ^(C)Holy:
^(D)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also ^(E)with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
^(F)to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.
¹⁶^(G)For I will not contend forever,
    nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
    and the breath of life that I made.
¹⁷Because of the iniquity of his ^(H)unjust gain I was angry,
    I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
    but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
¹⁸I have seen his ways, ^(I)but I will heal him;
    I will lead him ^(J)and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
¹⁹    ^(K)creating ^(L)the fruit of the lips.
^(M)Peace, peace, ^(N)to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
    ^(O)“and I will heal him.
²⁰^(P)But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
    for it cannot be quiet,
    and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
²¹^(Q)There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

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Matthew 4:12-5:20

English Standard Version

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹²Now when he heard that ^(A)John had been arrested, ^(B)he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³And leaving ^(C)Nazareth he went and lived in ^(D)Capernaum by ^(E)the sea, in the territory of ^(F)Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴^(G)so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

¹⁵^(H)“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶^(I)the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and ^(J)shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”

¹⁷^(K)From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ^(L)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”^[a]

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

¹⁸^(M)While walking by ^(N)the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you ^(O)fishers of men.”^[b] ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

²³^(P)And he went throughout all Galilee, ^(Q)teaching in their synagogues and ^(R)proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and ^(S)healing every disease and every affliction among the people. ²⁴So his fame spread throughout all ^(T)Syria, and ^(U)they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and ^(V)pains, ^(W)those oppressed by demons, ^(X)those having seizures, and ^(Y)paralytics, and he healed them. ²⁵^(Z)And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the ^(AA)Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Sermon on the Mount

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

The Beatitudes

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

³^(AE)“Blessed are ^(AF)the poor in spirit, for ^(AG)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

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

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

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

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

⁹“Blessed are ^(AP)the peacemakers, for ^(AQ)they shall be called ^(AR)sons^[c] of God.

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

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

Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth, ^(AY)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^(AZ)“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵^(BA)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. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ^(BB)that^[d] they may see your good works and ^(BC)give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

¹⁷^(BD)“Do not think that I have come to abolish ^(BE)the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but ^(BF)to fulfill them. ¹⁸For truly, I say to you, ^(BG)until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹^(BH)Therefore whoever relaxes ^(BI)one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least ^(BJ)in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great ^(BK)in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds ^(BL)that of the scribes and Pharisees, you ^(BM)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.