Matthew 5:13-20

New King James Version

Believers Are Salt and Light^(A)

¹³“You are the salt of the earth; ^(B)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^(C)“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do they ^(D)light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, ^(E)that they may see your good works and ^(F)glorify your Father in heaven.

Christ Fulfills the Law

¹⁷^(G)“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸For assuredly, I say to you, ^(H)till heaven and earth pass away, one ^[a]jot or one ^[b]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹^(I)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. ²⁰For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds ^(J)the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

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Footnotes

Matthew 5:18 Gr. iota, Heb. yod, the smallest letter
Matthew 5:18 The smallest stroke in a Heb. letter

Psalm 9

New King James Version

Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Righteous Judgments

To the Chief Musician. To the tune of ^[a]“Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David.

9 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
²I will be glad and ^(A)rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, ^(B)O Most High.

³When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
⁴For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
⁵You have rebuked the ^[b]nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have ^(C)blotted out their name forever and ever.

⁶O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has ^(D)perished.
⁷^(E)But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
⁸^(F)He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

⁹The Lord also will be a ^(G)refuge^[c] for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰And those who ^(H)know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
^(I)Declare His deeds among the people.
¹²^(J)When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the ^[d]humble.

¹³Have mercy on me, O Lord!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴That I may tell of all Your praise
In the gates of ^[e]the daughter of Zion.
I will ^(K)rejoice in Your salvation.

¹⁵^(L)The ^[f]nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
¹⁶The Lord is ^(M)known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
^(N)Meditation.^[g] Selah

¹⁷The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the ^[h]nations ^(O)that forget God.
¹⁸^(P)For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
^(Q)The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

¹⁹Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the ^[i]nations be judged in Your sight.
²⁰Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the ^[j]nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah