Matthew 5
Contemporary English Version
The Sermon on the Mount
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down.[a]
Blessings
(Luke 6.20-23)
Jesus' disciples gathered around him, 2 and he taught them:
3 God blesses those people
who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven![b]
4 (A) God blesses those people
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
5 (B) God blesses those people
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
6 (C) God blesses those people
who want to obey him[c]
more than to eat or drink.
They will be given
what they want!
7 God blesses those people
who are merciful.
They will be treated
with mercy!
8 (D) God blesses those people
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
9 God blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
10 (E) God blesses those people
who are treated badly
for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven.[d]
11 (F) God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12 (G) Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.
Salt and Light
(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)
13 (H) You are the salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.
14 (I) You are the light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, 15 (J) and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a clay pot. Instead, it is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. 16 (K) Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven.
The Law of Moses
17 Don't suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18 (L) Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.
19 If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20 You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
21 (M) You know our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.” 22 But I promise you if you are angry with someone,[f] you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.
23 So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.
25 Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. 26 I promise you will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe.
Marriage
27 (N) You know the commandment which says, “Be faithful in marriage.” 28 But I tell you if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts. 29 (O) If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell. 30 (P) If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Divorce
(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)
31 (Q) You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her.[g] 32 (R) But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin.[h] If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife.
Promises
33 (S) You know our ancestors were told, “Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it.” 34 (T) But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven. 35 (U) The earth is God's footstool, so don't swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don't swear by it. 36 Don't swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. 37 When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No.” Anything else comes from the devil.
Revenge
(Luke 6.29,30)
38 (V) You know you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 39 But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek,[i] turn and let that person slap your other cheek. 40 If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. 41 If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one kilometer, carry it two kilometers.[j] 42 When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.
Love
(Luke 6.27,28,32-36)
43 (W) You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” 44 But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45 (X) Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46 If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for this? Even tax collectors[k] love their friends. 47 If you greet only your friends, what's so great about this? Don't even unbelievers do that? 48 (Y) But you must always act like your Father in heaven.
Footnotes
- 5.1 sat down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat down when they taught.
- 5.3 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or “The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
- 5.6 who want to obey him: Or “who want to do right” or “who want everyone to be treated right.”
- 5.10 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3.
- 5.17 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
- 5.22 someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has “brother,” which may refer to people in general or to other followers.
- 5.31 write out divorce papers for her: Jewish men could divorce their wives, but the women could not divorce their husbands. The purpose of writing these papers was to make it harder for a man to divorce his wife. Before this law was made, all a man had to do was to send his wife away and say that she was no longer his wife.
- 5.32 some terrible sexual sin: This probably refers to the laws about the wrong kinds of marriages that are forbidden in Leviticus 18.6-18 or to some serious sexual sin.
- 5.39 right cheek: A slap on the right cheek was a bad insult.
- 5.41 two kilometers: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as one kilometer.
- 5.46 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion.
马太福音 5
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
論福(A)
5 耶穌看見群眾，就上了山；他坐下之後，門徒來到他跟前， 2 他就開口教訓他們：
3 “心靈貧乏的人有福了，
因為天國是他們的。
4 哀痛的人有福了，
因為他們必得安慰。
5 溫柔的人有福了，
因為他們必承受地土。
6 愛慕公義如飢如渴的人有福了，
因為他們必得飽足。
7 憐憫人的人有福了，
因為他們必蒙憐憫。
8 內心清潔的人有福了，
因為他們必看見 神。
9 使人和平的人有福了，
因為他們必稱為 神的兒子。
10 為義遭受迫害的人有福了，
因為天國是他們的。
11 人若因我的緣故辱罵你們，迫害你們，並且捏造各樣壞話毀謗你們，你們就有福了。 12 你們應該歡喜快樂，因為你們在天上的賞賜是大的；在你們以前的先知，他們也曾這樣迫害。
門徒作鹽作光(B)
13 “你們是地上的鹽；如果鹽失了味，怎能使它再鹹呢？結果毫無用處，唯有丟在外面任人踐踏。 14 你們是世上的光。建在山上的城是無法隱藏的； 15 人點了燈，不會放在量器底下，而是放在燈臺上，就照亮一家人。 16 照樣，你們的光也應當照在人前，讓他們看見你們的好行為，又頌讚你們在天上的父。
論律法
17 “你們不要以為我來是要廢除律法和先知；我來不是要廢除，而是要完成。 18 我實在告訴你們，就算天地過去，律法的一點一畫也不會廢去，全部都要成就。 19 因此，無論誰廢除誡命中最小的一條，又這樣教導人，他在天國中必稱為最小的；但若有人遵行這些誡命，並且教導人遵行，他在天國中必稱為大。 20 我告訴你們，你們的義若不勝過經學家和法利賽人的義，就必不能進天國。
不可恨人(C)
21 “你們聽過有這樣吩咐古人的話：‘不可殺人，殺人的必被判罪。’ 22 可是我告訴你們，凡是向弟兄發怒的，必被判罪。人若說弟兄是‘拉加’，必被公議會審判；人若說弟兄是‘摩利’，必難逃地獄的火。 23 所以你在祭壇上獻供物的時候，如果在那裡想起你的弟兄對你不滿， 24 就當在壇前放下供物，先去與弟兄和好，然後才來獻你的供物。 25 趁著你和你的對頭還在路上的時候，要趕快與他和解，免得他抓你去見法官，法官把你交給獄警，關在監裡。 26 我實在告訴你，除非你還清最後一分錢，否則決不能從那裡出來。
不可動淫念
27 “你們聽過有這樣的吩咐：‘不可姦淫。’ 28 可是我告訴你們，凡是看見婦女就動淫念的，心裡已經犯了姦淫。 29 如果你的右眼使你犯罪，就把它挖出來丟掉；寧可失去身體的一部分，勝過全身被丟進地獄裡。 30 如果你的右手使你犯罪，就把它砍下來丟掉；寧可失去身體的一部分，勝過全身進到地獄裡去。
不可休妻(D)
31 “又有這樣的吩咐：‘人若休妻，就應當給她休書。’ 32 可是我告訴你們，凡休妻的，如果不是因她不貞，就是促使她犯姦淫；無論誰娶了被休的婦人，也就是犯姦淫了。
不可發誓
33 “你們又聽過有這樣吩咐古人的話：‘不可背約，向主許的願都要償還。’ 34 可是我告訴你們，總不可發誓，不可指著天發誓，因為天是 神的寶座； 35 不可指著地發誓，因為地是 神的腳凳；不可指著耶路撒冷發誓，因為它是大君王的京城； 36 也不可指著自己的頭發誓，因為你不能使一根頭髮變白或變黑。 37 你們的話，是就說‘是’，不是就說‘不是’；如果再多說，就是出於那惡者。
不可報復(E)
38 “你們聽過有這樣的吩咐：‘以眼還眼，以牙還牙。’ 39 可是我告訴你們，不要與惡人對抗，有人打你的右臉，把另一邊也轉過來讓他打； 40 有人要告你，想拿你的襯衫，就連外套也讓他拿去。 41 有人要強迫你走一里路，就陪他走兩里。 42 有求你的，就給他；想借貸的，也不可拒絕。
當愛仇敵(F)
43 “你們聽過有這樣的吩咐：‘當愛你的鄰舍，恨你的仇敵。’ 44 可是我告訴你們，當愛你們的仇敵，為迫害你們的祈禱， 45 好叫你們成為你們天父的兒子；因為他使太陽照惡人，也照好人；降雨給義人，也給不義的人。 46 如果你們只愛那些愛你們的人，有甚麼賞賜呢？稅吏不也是這樣作嗎？ 47 如果你們單問候你們的弟兄，有甚麼特別呢？教外人不也是這樣作嗎？ 48 所以你們要完全，正如你們的天父是完全的。”
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
