Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.(A)
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.(B)
Blessed are the pure in heart,(C)
    for they will see God.(D)
Blessed are the peacemakers,(E)
    for they will be called children of God.(F)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,(G)
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(H)

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you,(I) persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.(J) 12 Rejoice and be glad,(K) because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.(L)

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.(M)

14 “You are the light of the world.(N) A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.(O) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others,(P) that they may see your good deeds(Q) and glorify(R) your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.(S) 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.(T) 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands(U) and teaches others accordingly 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. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.(V)

Murder(W)

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

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](AC) 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(AD) 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble,(AE) 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,(AF) 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.

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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

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,(A)
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.(B)
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.(C)
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.(D)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for the kingdom of heaven(E) is theirs.

11 “You are blessed when they insult you 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(F) the prophets who were before you.(G)

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?[a] It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.(H)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.(I) 15 No one lights a lamp(J) and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.(K) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.(L)

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.(M) 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter[b] or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.(N) 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

Murder Begins in the Heart

21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder,[c](O) and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.(P) 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister[d] will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults[e] his brother or sister will be subject to the court.[f] Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.[g](Q) 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you 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 with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to[h] the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.(R) 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.[i]

Adultery Begins in the Heart

27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.[j](S) 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(T) 29 If your right eye causes you to sin,(U) 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.(V) 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:13 Or how can the earth be salted?
  2. 5:18 Or not one iota; iota is the smallest letter of the Gk alphabet.
  3. 5:21 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17
  4. 5:22 Other mss add without a cause
  5. 5:22 Lit Whoever says ‘Raca’; an Aramaic term of abuse that puts someone down, insulting one’s intelligence
  6. 5:22 Lit Sanhedrin
  7. 5:22 Lit the gehenna of fire
  8. 5:25 Other mss read judge will hand you over to
  9. 5:26 Lit quadrans, the smallest and least valuable Roman coin, worth 1/64 of a daily wage
  10. 5:27 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18

“Blessed are (A)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are (B)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are (C)the pure in heart, for (D)they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for (E)they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been (F)persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for (G)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people (H)insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for (I)in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Disciples and the World

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but (J)if the salt has become tasteless, how [a]can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14 “You are (K)the light of the world. A city set on a [b]hill cannot be hidden; 15 (L)nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [c]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may (M)see your good works, and (N)glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the (O)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, (P)until heaven and earth pass away, not [d]the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [e]others to do the same, shall be called least (Q)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [f]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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

Personal Relationships

21 (S)You have heard that [g]the ancients were told, ‘(T)You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be [h]liable to (U)the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be [i]guilty before (V)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘[j]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be [k]guilty before [l](W)the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be [m]guilty enough to go into the [n](X)fiery hell. 23 Therefore if you are (Y)presenting your [o]offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your [p]offering there before the altar and go; first be (Z)reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your [q]offering. 25 (AA)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, (AB)you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last [r]cent.

27 (AC)You have heard that it was said, ‘(AD)You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman (AE)with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 (AF)If your right eye makes you [s]stumble, tear it out 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 be thrown into [v](AG)hell. 30 (AH)If your right hand makes you [w]stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you [x]to lose one of the parts of your body, [y]than for your whole body to go into [z](AI)hell.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:13 Lit will
  2. Matthew 5:14 Or mountain
  3. Matthew 5:15 Or peck-measure
  4. Matthew 5:18 Lit one iota (Heb yodh) or one projection of a letter (serif)
  5. Matthew 5:19 Gr anthropoi
  6. Matthew 5:19 Lit does
  7. Matthew 5:21 Lit it was said to the ancients
  8. Matthew 5:21 Or guilty before
  9. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  10. Matthew 5:22 Or empty-head; Gr Raka (Raca) fr Aram reqa
  11. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  12. Matthew 5:22 Lit the Sanhedrin
  13. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  14. Matthew 5:22 Lit Gehenna of fire
  15. Matthew 5:23 Or gift
  16. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  17. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  18. Matthew 5:26 Lit quadrans (equaling two mites); i.e. 1/64 of a daily wage
  19. Matthew 5:29 I.e. sin
  20. Matthew 5:29 Lit that one...be lost
  21. Matthew 5:29 Lit not your whole body
  22. Matthew 5:29 Gr Gehenna
  23. Matthew 5:30 I.e. sin
  24. Matthew 5:30 Lit that one...be lost
  25. Matthew 5:30 Lit not your whole body
  26. Matthew 5:30 Gr Gehenna