Matthew 5
Complete Jewish Bible
5 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim came to him, 2 and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
3 “How blessed are the poor in spirit!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 “How blessed are those who mourn!
for they will be comforted.
5 “How blessed are the meek!
for they will inherit the Land![a]
6 “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
for they will be filled.
7 “How blessed are those who show mercy!
for they will be shown mercy.
8 “How blessed are the pure in heart!
for they will see God.
9 “How blessed are those who make peace!
for they will be called sons of God.
10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted
because they pursue righteousness!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! 12 Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
13 “You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.
14 “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
17 “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. 19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
21 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not murder,’[b] and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom! 23 So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. 25 If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! 26 Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’[c] 28 But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. 30 And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.
31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.’[d] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and that anyone who marries a divorcee commits adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’ and ‘Keep your vows to Adonai.’[e] 34 But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; 35 not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his footstool;[f] and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King.[g] 36 And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. 37 Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’; anything more than this has its origin in evil.
38 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too! 40 If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! 41 And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! 42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.
43 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Love your neighbor[i] — and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. 46 What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! 47 And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! 48 Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Footnotes
- Matthew 5:5 Psalm 37:11
- Matthew 5:21 Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17
- Matthew 5:27 Exodus 20:13(14); Deuteronomy 5:17(18)
- Matthew 5:31 Deuteronomy 24:1
- Matthew 5:33 Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:3(2); Deuteronomy 23:22(21)
- Matthew 5:35 Isaiah 66:1
- Matthew 5:35 Psalm 48:3(2)
- Matthew 5:38 Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
- Matthew 5:43 Leviticus 19:18
Matthew 5
Young's Literal Translation
5 And having seen the multitudes, he went up to the mount, and he having sat down, his disciples came to him,
2 and having opened his mouth, he was teaching them, saying:
3 `Happy the poor in spirit -- because theirs is the reign of the heavens.
4 `Happy the mourning -- because they shall be comforted.
5 `Happy the meek -- because they shall inherit the land.
6 `Happy those hungering and thirsting for righteousness -- because they shall be filled.
7 `Happy the kind -- because they shall find kindness.
8 `Happy the clean in heart -- because they shall see God.
9 `Happy the peacemakers -- because they shall be called Sons of God.
10 `Happy those persecuted for righteousness' sake -- because theirs is the reign of the heavens.
11 `Happy are ye whenever they may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you falsely for my sake --
12 rejoice ye and be glad, because your reward [is] great in the heavens, for thus did they persecute the prophets who were before you.
13 `Ye are the salt of the land, but if the salt may lose savour, in what shall it be salted? for nothing is it good henceforth, except to be cast without, and to be trodden down by men.
14 `Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid;
15 nor do they light a lamp, and put it under the measure, but on the lamp-stand, and it shineth to all those in the house;
16 so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who [is] in the heavens.
17 `Do not suppose that I came to throw down the law or the prophets -- I did not come to throw down, but to fulfill;
18 for, verily I say to you, till that the heaven and the earth may pass away, one iota or one tittle may not pass away from the law, till that all may come to pass.
19 `Whoever therefore may loose one of these commands -- the least -- and may teach men so, least he shall be called in the reign of the heavens, but whoever may do and may teach [them], he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens.
20 `For I say to you, that if your righteousness may not abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye may not enter to the reign of the heavens.
21 `Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment;
22 but I -- I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
23 `If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,
24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go -- first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.
25 `Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly, while thou art in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver thee to the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and to prison thou mayest be cast,
26 verily I say to thee, thou mayest not come forth thence till that thou mayest pay the last farthing.
27 `Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not commit adultery;
28 but I -- I say to you, that every one who is looking on a woman to desire her, did already commit adultery with her in his heart.
29 `But, if thy right eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.
30 `And, if thy right hand doth cause thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.
31 `And it was said, That whoever may put away his wife, let him give to her a writing of divorce;
32 but I -- I say to you, that whoever may put away his wife, save for the matter of whoredom, doth make her to commit adultery; and whoever may marry her who hath been put away doth commit adultery.
33 `Again, ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt pay to the Lord thine oaths;
34 but I -- I say to you, not to swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God,
35 nor by the earth, because it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is a city of a great king,
36 nor by thy head mayest thou swear, because thou art not able one hair to make white or black;
37 but let your word be, Yes, Yes, No, No, and that which is more than these is of the evil.
38 `Ye heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth;
39 but I -- I say to you, not to resist the evil, but whoever shall slap thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;
40 and whoever is willing to take thee to law, and thy coat to take -- suffer to him also the cloak.
41 `And whoever shall impress thee one mile, go with him two,
42 to him who is asking of thee be giving, and him who is willing to borrow from thee thou mayest not turn away.
43 `Ye heard that it was said: Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and shalt hate thine enemy;
44 but I -- I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you,
45 that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens, because His sun He doth cause to rise on evil and good, and He doth send rain on righteous and unrighteous.
46 `For, if ye may love those loving you, what reward have ye? do not also the tax-gatherers the same?
47 and if ye may salute your brethren only, what do ye abundant? do not also the tax-gatherers so?
48 ye shall therefore be perfect, as your Father who [is] in the heavens is perfect.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.