17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the (A)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, (B)until heaven and earth pass away, not [a]the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [b]others to do the same, shall be called least (C)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [c]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 “For I say to you that unless your (D)righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Personal Relationships

21 (E)You have heard that [d]the ancients were told, ‘(F)You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to (G)the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to (H)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘[e]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to [f](I)the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the [g](J)fiery hell. 23 Therefore, if you are (K)presenting your [h]offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your [i]offering there before the altar and go; first be (L)reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your [j]offering. 25 (M)[k]Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, (N)you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last [l]quadrans.

27 (O)You have heard that it was said, ‘(P)You shall not commit adultery’;

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:18 Lit one iota (Heb yodh) or one projection (serif)
  2. Matthew 5:19 Lit people
  3. Matthew 5:19 Lit does
  4. Matthew 5:21 Lit it was said to the ancients
  5. Matthew 5:22 Or You empty-head; Gr Raka (Raca) from Aramaic reqa
  6. Matthew 5:22 Lit the Sanhedrin; i.e., Jewish High Court
  7. Matthew 5:22 Lit Gehenna of fire
  8. Matthew 5:23 Or gift
  9. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  10. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  11. Matthew 5:25 I.e., settle the case
  12. Matthew 5:26 A small Roman copper coin, worth about 1/64 of a laborer’s daily wage

The Fulfillment of the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.(A) 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.(B) 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands(C) and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.(D)

Murder(E)

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a](F) and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry(G) with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment.(H) Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court.(I) And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.(J)

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[e](K)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:21 Exodus 20:13
  2. Matthew 5:22 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verse 23.
  3. Matthew 5:22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause
  4. Matthew 5:22 An Aramaic term of contempt
  5. Matthew 5:27 Exodus 20:14