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Matthew 5
Legacy Standard Bible

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

5 (A)Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on (B)the [a]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 (C)And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “[b](D)Blessed are the [c]poor in spirit, for (E)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are (F)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are (G)the [d]lowly, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are (H)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 Blessed are (I)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 Blessed are (J)the pure in heart, for (K)they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for (L)they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who have been (M)persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for (N)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people (O)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 (P)in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

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

14 “You are (R)the light of the world. A city set on a [e]hill cannot be hidden; 15 (S)nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [f]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 (T)see your good works, and (U)glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the (V)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, (W)until heaven and earth pass away, not [g]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 [h]others to do the same, shall be called least (X)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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

Personal Relationships

21 “(Z)You have heard that [i]the ancients were told, ‘(AA)You shall not murder’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before (AB)the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before (AC)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘[j]Raca,’ shall be guilty before the [k](AD)Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the [l](AE)fiery hell. 23 Therefore if you are (AF)presenting your [m]offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your [n]offering there before the altar and go; first be (AG)reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your [o]offering. 25 (AH)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, (AI)you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last [p]quadrans.

27 “(AJ)You have heard that it was said, ‘(AK)You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman (AL)to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 (AM)But if your right eye makes you [q]stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you [r]to lose one of the parts of your body, [s]than for your whole body to be thrown into [t](AN)hell. 30 (AO)And if your right hand makes you [u]stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you [v]to lose one of the parts of your body, [w]than for your whole body to go into [x](AP)hell.

31 “Now it was said, ‘(AQ)Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 (AR)but I say to you that everyone who [y]divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a [z]divorced woman commits adultery.

33 “Again, (AS)you have heard that [aa]the ancients were told, ‘[ab](AT)You shall not [ac]make false vows, but shall fulfill your [ad]vows to the [ae]Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, (AU)make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is (AV)the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the (AW)footstool of His feet, or [af]by Jerusalem, for it is (AX)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 [ag]of (AY)the evil one.

38 “(AZ)You have heard that it was said, ‘(BA)An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but (BB)whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your [ah]tunic, let him have your [ai]garment also. 41 And whoever [aj]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 (BC)Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43 “(BD)You have heard that it was said, ‘(BE)You shall love your neighbor (BF)and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, (BG)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [ak]be (BH)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 (BI)if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore [al](BJ)you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:1 Or hill
  2. Matthew 5:3 Fortunate or prosperous, so through v 11
  3. Matthew 5:3 Those who are not spiritually arrogant
  4. Matthew 5:5 Or humble, meek
  5. Matthew 5:14 Or mountain
  6. Matthew 5:15 Or peck-measure
  7. Matthew 5:18 Or one projection of a letter (serif); lit one iota (Heb yodh)
  8. Matthew 5:19 Gr anthropoi
  9. Matthew 5:21 Lit it was said to the ancients
  10. Matthew 5:22 Or empty-head; from Aram reqa
  11. Matthew 5:22 Or Council
  12. Matthew 5:22 Lit Gehenna of fire
  13. Matthew 5:23 Or gift
  14. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  15. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  16. Matthew 5:26 A Roman copper coin, approx. 1/64 of a laborer’s daily wage
  17. Matthew 5:29 Sin
  18. Matthew 5:29 Lit that one...be lost
  19. Matthew 5:29 Lit not your whole body
  20. Matthew 5:29 Gr Gehenna
  21. Matthew 5:30 Sin
  22. Matthew 5:30 Lit that one...be lost
  23. Matthew 5:30 Lit not your whole body
  24. Matthew 5:30 Gr Gehenna
  25. Matthew 5:32 Or sends away
  26. Matthew 5:32 Or sent away
  27. Matthew 5:33 Lit it was said to the ancients
  28. Matthew 5:33 you and your are singular here
  29. Matthew 5:33 Or break your vows
  30. Matthew 5:33 Lit oaths
  31. Matthew 5:33 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Deut 23:21
  32. Matthew 5:35 Or toward
  33. Matthew 5:37 Or from evil
  34. Matthew 5:40 A garment worn next to the body
  35. Matthew 5:40 An outer garment
  36. Matthew 5:41 Lit will force
  37. Matthew 5:45 Or show yourselves to be
  38. Matthew 5:48 Lit you shall be
Close EHV

Matthew 5
Evangelical Heritage Version

The Sermon on the Mount

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up onto a mountain. When he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 He opened his mouth and began to teach them. He said these things:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    because they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the gentle,
    because they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    because they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    because they will receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    because they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    because they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. In fact, that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its flavor, how will it become salty again? Then it is no good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. 14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket. No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy them but to fulfill them. 18 Amen[a] I tell you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not even the smallest letter, or even part of a letter, will in any way pass away from the Law until everything is fulfilled. 19 So whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 Indeed I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and experts in the law, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Sinful Anger

21 “You have heard that it was said to people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[b] and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause[c] will be subject to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’[d] will have to answer to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of hell[e] fire.

23 “So if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift.

25 “If someone accuses you, reach an agreement with him quickly, while you are with him on the way. Otherwise your accuser may bring you to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Amen I tell you: You will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Lust

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’[f] 28 but I tell you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Divorce

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[g] 32 But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to be regarded as an adulteress. And whoever marries the divorced woman is regarded as an adulterer.

Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to people long ago, ‘Do not break your oaths, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’[h] 34 But I tell you, do not swear at all: not by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 and not by earth, because it is his footstool; and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your own head, since you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Instead, let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes,’ or ‘No, no.’ Whatever goes beyond these is from the Evil One.

Love Your Enemies

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’[i] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evildoer. If someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you to take away your shirt, give him your coat too. 41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[j] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 Indeed if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even tax collectors do that, don’t they? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the unbelievers do that? 48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:18 Usually, people say Amen at the end of a prayer. But Jesus used this Hebrew word at the beginning of a statement, which was unique. The inspired writer simply transliterated the Hebrew word that Jesus spoke, instead of using a Greek term. This translation does the same in English. The basic meaning is I solemnly tell you the truth.
  2. Matthew 5:21 Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17
  3. Matthew 5:22 Some witnesses to the text omit without a cause.
  4. Matthew 5:22 Raca was an insulting name in Aramaic which meant something like numbskull or empty-head.
  5. Matthew 5:22 Gehenna
  6. Matthew 5:27 Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18
  7. Matthew 5:31 Deuteronomy 24:1
  8. Matthew 5:33 Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2
  9. Matthew 5:38 Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20
  10. Matthew 5:43 Leviticus 19:18
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Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

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