Matthew 5
World English Bible
5 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 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 gentle,
for they shall inherit the earth.[a]
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be filled.
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 children of God.
10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. 16 Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter[b] or one tiny pen stroke[c] shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’
23 “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 24 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 Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. 26 Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.[g]
27 “You have heard that it was said, [h] ‘You shall not commit adultery;’
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor
Footnotes
- 5:5 or, land.
- 5:18 literally, iota
- 5:18 or, serif
- 5:22 NU omits “without a cause”.
- 5:22 “Raca” is an Aramaic insult, related to the word for “empty” and conveying the idea of empty-headedness.
- 5:22 or, Hell
- 5:26 literally, kodrantes. A kodrantes was a small copper coin worth about 2 lepta (widow’s mites)—not enough to buy very much of anything.
- 5:27 TR adds “to the ancients”.
- 5:29 or, Hell
- 5:30 or, Hell
- 5:43 not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26
- 5:47 NU reads “Gentiles” instead of “tax collectors”.
Matthew 5
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Sermon on the Mount
5 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain,(A) and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 Then[a] He began to teach them, saying:(B)
The Beatitudes
3 “The poor in spirit are blessed,(C)
for the kingdom of heaven(D) is theirs.
4 Those who mourn are blessed,(E)
for they will be comforted.
5 The gentle are blessed,(F)
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,(G)
for they will be filled.
7 The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.(H)
8 The pure in heart are blessed,
for they will see God.(I)
9 The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.(J)
10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven(K) is theirs.
11 “You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted(L) the prophets who were before you.(M)
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.(N)
14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.(O) 15 No one lights a lamp(P) and puts it under a basket,[b] but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.(Q) 16 In the same way, let your light shine[c] before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.(R)
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.(S) 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter[d] or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so 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.(T) 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder Begins in the Heart
21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors,[e] Do not murder,(U)[f] and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.(V) 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother[g] will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’[h] will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.[i](W) 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the judge to[j] the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.(X) 26 I assure you: You will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny![k]
Adultery in the Heart
27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.(Y)[l] 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(Z) 29 If your right eye causes you to sin,(AA) gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.(AB) 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!
Divorce Practices Censured
31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces(AC) his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.(AD)[m] 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality,[n] causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.(AE)
Tell the Truth
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,[o] You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.(AF)[p] 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.(AG) 36 Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’[q] Anything more than this is from the evil one.(AH)
Go the Second Mile
38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.(AI)[r] 39 But I tell you, don’t resist[s] an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.(AJ) 40 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt,[t] let him have your coat[u] as well. 41 And if anyone forces[v] you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.(AK)
Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor(AL)[w] and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies[x] and pray for those who[y] persecute you,(AM) 45 so that you may be[z] sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.(AN) 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary?[aa](AO) Don’t even the Gentiles[ab] do the same? 48 Be perfect,(AP) therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Footnotes
- Matthew 5:2 Lit Then opening His mouth
- Matthew 5:15 A large basket used to measure grain
- Matthew 5:16 Or way, your light must shine
- Matthew 5:18 Or not one iota; iota is the smallest letter of the Gk alphabet.
- Matthew 5:21 Lit to the ancients
- Matthew 5:21 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17
- Matthew 5:22 Other mss add without a cause
- Matthew 5:22 Lit Raca, an Aram term of abuse similar to “airhead”
- Matthew 5:22 Lit the gehenna of fire
- Matthew 5:25 Other mss read judge will hand you over to
- Matthew 5:26 Lit quadrans, the smallest and least valuable Roman coin, worth 1⁄64 of a daily wage
- Matthew 5:27 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18
- Matthew 5:31 Dt 24:1
- Matthew 5:32 Gk porneia = fornication, or possibly a violation of Jewish marriage laws
- Matthew 5:33 Lit to the ancients
- Matthew 5:33 Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21
- Matthew 5:37 Say what you mean and mean what you say
- Matthew 5:38 Ex 21:24; Lv 24:20; Dt 19:21
- Matthew 5:39 Or don’t set yourself against, or don’t retaliate against
- Matthew 5:40 Lit tunic; = inner garment
- Matthew 5:40 Or garment; lit robe; = outer garment
- Matthew 5:41 Roman soldiers could require people to carry loads for them.
- Matthew 5:43 Lv 19:18
- Matthew 5:44 Other mss add bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you,
- Matthew 5:44 Other mss add mistreat you and
- Matthew 5:45 Or may become, or may show yourselves to be
- Matthew 5:47 Or doing that is superior; lit doing more
- Matthew 5:47 Other mss read tax collectors
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