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Matthew 5:21-48
New King James Version

Murder Begins in the Heart(A)

21 “You have heard that it was said to those [a]of old, (B)‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that (C)whoever is angry with his brother [b]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, (D)‘Raca!’[c] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [d]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [e]hell fire. 23 Therefore (E)if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 (F)leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 (G)Agree with your adversary quickly, (H)while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Adultery in the Heart

27 “You have heard that it was said [f]to those of old, (I)‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever (J)looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 (K)If your right eye causes you to [g]sin, (L)pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to [h]sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Marriage Is Sacred and Binding(M)

31 “Furthermore it has been said, (N)‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that (O)whoever divorces his wife for any reason except [i]sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Jesus Forbids Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that (P)it was said to those of [j]old, (Q)‘You shall not swear falsely, but (R)shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, (S)do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is (T)God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of (U)the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 (V)But let [k]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Go the Second Mile(W)

38 “You have heard that it was said, (X)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 (Y)But I tell you not to resist an evil person. (Z)But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever (AA)compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and (AB)from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies(AC)

43 “You have heard that it was said, (AD)‘You shall love your neighbor (AE)and hate your enemy.’ 44 [l]But I say to you, (AF)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, (AG)do good to those who hate you, and pray (AH)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for (AI)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 (AJ)For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your [m]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the [n]tax collectors do so? 48 (AK)Therefore you shall be perfect, just (AL)as your Father in heaven is perfect.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:21 in ancient times
  2. Matthew 5:22 NU omits without a cause
  3. Matthew 5:22 Lit., in Aram., Empty head
  4. Matthew 5:22 Gr. More
  5. Matthew 5:22 Gr. Gehenna
  6. Matthew 5:27 NU, M omit to those of old
  7. Matthew 5:29 Lit. stumble or offend
  8. Matthew 5:30 Lit. stumble or offend
  9. Matthew 5:32 Or fornication
  10. Matthew 5:33 ancient times
  11. Matthew 5:37 Lit. your word be yes yes
  12. Matthew 5:44 NU But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
  13. Matthew 5:47 M friends
  14. Matthew 5:47 NU Gentiles
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Matthew 5:21-48
New International Version

Murder(A)

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

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](G) 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(H) 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble,(I) gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble,(J) cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[f](K) 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.(L)

Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath,(M) but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’(N) 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all:(O) either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;(P) 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.(Q) 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;(R) anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[g](S)

Eye for Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h](T) 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.(U) 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.(V)

Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i](W) and hate your enemy.’(X) 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,(Y) 45 that you may be children(Z) of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.(AA) 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?(AB) Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.(AC)

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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
  6. Matthew 5:31 Deut. 24:1
  7. Matthew 5:37 Or from evil
  8. Matthew 5:38 Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21
  9. Matthew 5:43 Lev. 19:18
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