Matthew 5:20-22
King James Version
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
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Matthew 5:20-22
English Standard Version
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds (A)that of the scribes and Pharisees, you (B)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
21 (C)“You have heard that it was said to those of old, (D)‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable (E)to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that (F)everyone who is angry with his brother[a] will be liable (G)to judgment; whoever insults[b] his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to (H)the hell[c] of fire.
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- Matthew 5:22 Some manuscripts insert without cause
- Matthew 5:22 Greek says Raca to (a term of abuse)
- Matthew 5:22 Greek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30
Matthew 5:20-22
New American Standard Bible
20 “For I say to you that unless your (A)righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Personal Relationships
21 “(B)You have heard that [a]the ancients were told, ‘(C)You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to (D)the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to (E)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘[b]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to [c](F)the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the [d](G)fiery hell.
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- Matthew 5:21 Lit it was said to the ancients
- Matthew 5:22 Or You empty-head; Gr Raka (Raca) from Aramaic reqa
- Matthew 5:22 Lit the Sanhedrin; i.e., Jewish High Court
- Matthew 5:22 Lit Gehenna of fire
Matthew 5:20-22
New King James Version
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds (A)the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder Begins in the Heart(B)
21 “You have heard that it was said to those [a]of old, (C)‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that (D)whoever is angry with his brother [b]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, (E)‘Raca!’[c] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [d]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [e]hell fire.
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- Matthew 5:21 in ancient times
- Matthew 5:22 NU omits without a cause
- Matthew 5:22 Lit., in Aram., Empty head
- Matthew 5:22 Gr. More
- Matthew 5:22 Gr. Gehenna
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
