The Sermon on the Mount

5 Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ² and he began to teach them:

True Happiness^(A)

^11 (G)“Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. ^12 (H)Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted.

Salt and Light^(I)

^13 (J)“You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it.

^14 (K)“You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ^15 (L)No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. ^16 (M)In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

Teaching about the Law

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true. ^18 (N)Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with—not until the end of all things.^{[a] 19} So then, whoever disobeys even the least important of the commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires.