19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [a]others to do the same, shall be called least (A)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [b]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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

Personal Relationships

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

27 (M)You have heard that it was said, ‘(N)You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman (O)with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 (P)If your right eye makes you [o]stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you [p]to lose one of the parts of your body, [q]than for your whole body to be thrown into [r](Q)hell. 30 (R)If your right hand makes you [s]stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you [t]to lose one of the parts of your body, [u]than for your whole body to go into [v](S)hell.

31 “It was said, ‘(T)Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 (U)but I say to you that everyone who [w]divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a [x]divorced woman commits adultery.

33 “Again, (V)you have heard that [y]the ancients were told, ‘[z](W)You shall not [aa]make false vows, but shall fulfill your [ab]vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, (X)make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is (Y)the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the (Z)footstool of His feet, or [ac]by Jerusalem, for it is (AA)the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is [ad]of (AB)evil.

38 (AC)You have heard that it was said, ‘(AD)An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but (AE)whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your [ae]shirt, let him have your [af]coat also. 41 Whoever [ag]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 (AF)Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43 (AG)You have heard that it was said, ‘(AH)You shall love your neighbor (AI)and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, (AJ)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [ah]be (AK)sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For (AL)if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore [ai](AM)you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Giving to the Poor and Prayer

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men (AN)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

“So when you [aj]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they (AO)may be honored by men. (AP)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you [ak]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your [al]giving will be in secret; and (AQ)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to (AR)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [am](AS)so that they may be seen by men. (AT)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, (AU)go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and (AV)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their (AW)many words. So do not be like them; for (AX)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

(AY)Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 (AZ)Your kingdom come.
(BA)Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 (BB)Give us this day [an]our daily bread.
12 ‘And (BC)forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but (BD)deliver us from [ao](BE)evil. [ap][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

14 (BF)For if you forgive [aq]others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (BG)if you do not forgive [ar]others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Mammon)

16 (BH)Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [as]neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. (BI)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, (BJ)anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your (BK)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

19 (BL)Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves (BM)treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for (BN)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 (BO)The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is [at]clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if (BP)your eye is [au]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 (BQ)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [av](BR)wealth.

The Cure for Anxiety

25 (BS)For this reason I say to you, [aw]do not be (BT)worried about your [ax]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (BU)Look at the birds of the [ay]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being (BV)worried can (BW)add a single [az]hour to his [ba]life? 28 And why are you (BX)worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even (BY)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (BZ)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (CA)You of little faith! 31 Do not (CB)worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for (CC)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [bb]seek first [bc]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (CD)all these things will be [bd]added to you.

34 “So do not (CE)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [be]care for itself. [bf]Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Judging Others

(CF)Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and [bg](CG)by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you (CH)look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (CI)Or how [bh]can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

(CJ)Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Prayer and the Golden Rule

[bi](CK)Ask, and (CL)it will be given to you; [bj]seek, and you will find; [bk]knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you [bl]who, when his son asks for a loaf, [bm]will give him a stone? 10 Or [bn]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, (CM)how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

12 “In everything, (CN)therefore, [bo]treat people the same way you want [bp]them to treat you, for (CO)this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 (CP)Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

15 “Beware of the (CQ)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are (CR)ravenous wolves. 16 You will [bq](CS)know them by their fruits. [br]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So (CT)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 (CU)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will [bs]know them (CV)by their fruits.

21 (CW)Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 (CX)Many will say to Me on (CY)that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [bt]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; (CZ)depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

The Two Foundations

24 “Therefore (DA)everyone who hears these words of Mine and [bu]acts on them, [bv]may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the [bw]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not [bx]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the [by]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

28 [bz](DB)When Jesus had finished these words, (DC)the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:19 Gr anthropoi
  2. Matthew 5:19 Lit does
  3. Matthew 5:21 Lit it was said to the ancients
  4. Matthew 5:21 Or guilty before
  5. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  6. Matthew 5:22 Or empty-head; Gr Raka (Raca) fr Aram reqa
  7. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  8. Matthew 5:22 Lit the Sanhedrin
  9. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  10. Matthew 5:22 Lit Gehenna of fire
  11. Matthew 5:23 Or gift
  12. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  13. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  14. Matthew 5:26 Lit quadrans (equaling two mites); i.e. 1/64 of a daily wage
  15. Matthew 5:29 I.e. sin
  16. Matthew 5:29 Lit that one...be lost
  17. Matthew 5:29 Lit not your whole body
  18. Matthew 5:29 Gr Gehenna
  19. Matthew 5:30 I.e. sin
  20. Matthew 5:30 Lit that one...be lost
  21. Matthew 5:30 Lit not your whole body
  22. Matthew 5:30 Gr Gehenna
  23. Matthew 5:32 Or sends away
  24. Matthew 5:32 Or sent away
  25. Matthew 5:33 Lit it was said to the ancients
  26. Matthew 5:33 you and your are singular here
  27. Matthew 5:33 Or break your vows
  28. Matthew 5:33 Lit oaths
  29. Matthew 5:35 Or toward
  30. Matthew 5:37 Or from the evil one
  31. Matthew 5:40 Lit tunic; i.e. a garment worn next to the body
  32. Matthew 5:40 Lit cloak; i.e. an outer garment
  33. Matthew 5:41 Lit will force
  34. Matthew 5:45 Or show yourselves to be
  35. Matthew 5:48 Lit you shall be
  36. Matthew 6:2 Or give alms
  37. Matthew 6:3 Or give alms
  38. Matthew 6:4 Or alms
  39. Matthew 6:5 Lit to be apparent to men
  40. Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
  41. Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one
  42. Matthew 6:13 This clause not found in early mss
  43. Matthew 6:14 Gr anthropoi
  44. Matthew 6:15 Gr anthropoi
  45. Matthew 6:16 Lit distort their faces, i.e. discolor their faces with makeup
  46. Matthew 6:22 Or healthy; or sincere
  47. Matthew 6:23 Or evil
  48. Matthew 6:24 Gr mamonas, for Aram mamon (mammon); i.e. wealth, etc., personified as an object of worship
  49. Matthew 6:25 Or stop being worried
  50. Matthew 6:25 Lit soul
  51. Matthew 6:26 Lit heaven
  52. Matthew 6:27 Lit cubit (approx 18 in.)
  53. Matthew 6:27 Or height
  54. Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek
  55. Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom
  56. Matthew 6:33 Or provided
  57. Matthew 6:34 Lit worry about itself
  58. Matthew 6:34 Lit Sufficient for the day is its evils
  59. Matthew 7:2 Lit by what measure you measure
  60. Matthew 7:4 Lit will
  61. Matthew 7:7 Or Keep asking
  62. Matthew 7:7 Or keep seeking
  63. Matthew 7:7 Or keep knocking
  64. Matthew 7:9 Lit whom his son will ask
  65. Matthew 7:9 Lit he will not give him a stone, will he?
  66. Matthew 7:10 Lit also will ask
  67. Matthew 7:12 Lit you, too, do so for them
  68. Matthew 7:12 Lit people; Gr anthropoi
  69. Matthew 7:16 Or recognize
  70. Matthew 7:16 Lit They do not gather
  71. Matthew 7:20 Or recognize
  72. Matthew 7:22 Or works of power
  73. Matthew 7:24 Lit does
  74. Matthew 7:24 Lit will
  75. Matthew 7:25 Lit rivers
  76. Matthew 7:26 Lit do
  77. Matthew 7:27 Lit rivers
  78. Matthew 7:28 Lit And it happened when

The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service

10 Jesus (A)summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to (B)heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

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And as you go, [a]preach, saying, ‘(A)The kingdom of heaven [b]is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:7 Or proclaim
  2. Matthew 10:7 Lit has come near