Matthew 5
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
The Beatitudes
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The Law and the Prophets
17 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them.[a] 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Concerning Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother[b] shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults[c] his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell[d] of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; 26 truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
Concerning Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.[e][f] 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.[g]
Concerning Divorce
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity,[h] makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Concerning Oaths
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.[i]
Concerning Retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40 and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 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 salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Footnotes
- 5.17 Jesus came to bring the old law to its natural fulfilment in the new, while discarding what had become obsolete; cf. Jn 4.21.
- Matthew 5:22 Other ancient authorities insert without cause
- Matthew 5:22 Greek says Raca to (an obscure term of abuse)
- Matthew 5:22 Greek Gehenna
- Matthew 5:29 Greek Gehenna
- 5.29 An exaggeration to emphasize the need to avoid occasions of sin.
- Matthew 5:30 Greek Gehenna
- 5.32 unchastity: The Greek word used here appears to refer to marriages that were not legally marriages because they were either within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (Lev 18.6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The phrase except on the ground of unchastity does not occur in the parallel passage in Lk 16.18. See also Mt 19.9 (Mk 10.11-12), and especially 1 Cor 7.10-11 which shows that the prohibition is unconditional.
- Matthew 5:37 Or the evil one
Matthew 5
New King James Version
The Beatitudes(A)
5 And seeing the multitudes, (B)He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and (C)taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed(D) are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 (E)Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 (F)Blessed are the meek,
For (G)they shall inherit the [a]earth.
6 Blessed are those who (H)hunger and thirst for righteousness,
(I)For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
(J)For they shall obtain mercy.
8 (K)Blessed are the pure in heart,
For (L)they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 (M)Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 (N)Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of (O)evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 (P)Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for (Q)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Believers Are Salt and Light(R)
13 “You are the salt of the earth; (S)but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 (T)“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they (U)light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, (V)that they may see your good works and (W)glorify your Father in heaven.
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 (X)“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, (Y)till heaven and earth pass away, one [b]jot or one [c]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 (Z)Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds (AA)the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder Begins in the Heart(AB)
21 “You have heard that it was said to those [d]of old, (AC)‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that (AD)whoever is angry with his brother [e]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, (AE)‘Raca!’[f] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [g]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [h]hell fire. 23 Therefore (AF)if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 (AG)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 (AH)Agree with your adversary quickly, (AI)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 [i]to those of old, (AJ)‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever (AK)looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 (AL)If your right eye causes you to [j]sin, (AM)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 [k]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(AN)
31 “Furthermore it has been said, (AO)‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that (AP)whoever divorces his wife for any reason except [l]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 (AQ)it was said to those of [m]old, (AR)‘You shall not swear falsely, but (AS)shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, (AT)do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is (AU)God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of (AV)the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 (AW)But let [n]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Go the Second Mile(AX)
38 “You have heard that it was said, (AY)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 (AZ)But I tell you not to resist an evil person. (BA)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 (BB)compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and (BC)from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Love Your Enemies(BD)
43 “You have heard that it was said, (BE)‘You shall love your neighbor (BF)and hate your enemy.’ 44 [o]But I say to you, (BG)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, (BH)do good to those who hate you, and pray (BI)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for (BJ)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 (BK)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 [p]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the [q]tax collectors do so? 48 (BL)Therefore you shall be perfect, just (BM)as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Footnotes
- Matthew 5:5 Or land
- Matthew 5:18 Gr. iota, Heb. yod, the smallest letter
- Matthew 5:18 The smallest stroke in a Heb. letter
- 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
- Matthew 5:27 NU, M omit to those of old
- Matthew 5:29 Lit. stumble or offend
- Matthew 5:30 Lit. stumble or offend
- Matthew 5:32 Or fornication
- Matthew 5:33 ancient times
- Matthew 5:37 Lit. your word be yes yes
- Matthew 5:44 NU But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
- Matthew 5:47 M friends
- Matthew 5:47 NU Gentiles
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
