Matthew 7
New Testament for Everyone
On judging others
7 “Don’t judge people, and you won’t be judged yourself. 2 You’ll be judged, you see, by the judgment you use to judge others! You’ll be measured by the measuring-rod you use to measure others! 3 Why do you stare at the splinter in your neighbor’s eye, but ignore the plank in your own? 4 How can you say to your neighbor, ‘Here—let me get that splinter out of your eye,’ when you’ve got the plank in your own? 5 You’re just play-acting! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you’ll see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your neighbor’s eye.
6 “Don’t give holy things to dogs. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they will trample them under their feet—and then turn round and attack you!”
On prayer
7 “Ask and it will be given to you! Search and you will find! Knock and the door will be opened for you! 8 Everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. 9 Don’t you see? Supposing your son asks you for bread—which of you is going to give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish—which of you is going to give him a serpent? 11 Well then: you may be evil, but you still know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more will your father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 “So whatever you want people to do to you, do just that to them. Yes; this is what the law and the prophets are all about.”
The two ways
13 “Go in by the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction, you see, is nice and wide, and the road going there has plenty of room. Lots of people go that way. 14 But the gate leading to life is narrow, and the road going there is a tight squeeze. Not many people find their way through.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They will come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are hungry wolves. 16 You’ll be able to tell them by the fruit they bear: you don’t find grapes growing on thorn-bushes, do you, or figs on thistles? 17 Well, in the same way, good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit. 18 Actually, good trees can’t produce bad fruit, nor can bad ones produce good fruit! 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. 20 So: you must recognize them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Master, Master’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; only people who do the will of my father in heaven. 22 On that day lots of people will say to me, ‘Master, Master—we prophesied in your name, didn’t we? We cast out demons in your name! We performed lots of powerful deeds in your name!’
23 “Then I will have to say to them, ‘I never knew you! You’re a bunch of evildoers—go away from me!’ ”
True obedience
24 “So, then, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 Heavy rain fell; floods rose up; the winds blew and beat on that house. It didn’t fall, because it was founded on the rock. 26 And all those who hear these words of mine and don’t do them—they will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 Heavy rain fell; floods rose up; the winds blew and battered the house—and down it fell! It fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching. 29 He was teaching them, you see, on his own authority, quite unlike their scribes.
Matthew 7
Names of God Bible
The Sermon on a Mountain Continues: Stop Judging(A)
7 “Stop judging so that you will not be judged. 2 Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you. 3 So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? 4 How can you say to another believer, ‘Let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you have a beam in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer’s eye.
Don’t Throw Pearls to Pigs
6 “Don’t give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces.
The Power of Prayer(B)
7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “If your child asks you for bread, would any of you give him a stone? 10 Or if your child asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? 11 Even though you’re evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?
The Golden Rule(C)
12 “Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you. That is the meaning of Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets.
The Narrow Gate
13 “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate and road that lead to destruction are wide. Many enter through the wide gate. 14 But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate.
False Prophets(D)
15 “Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by what they produce.
“People don’t pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? 17 In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire. 20 So you will know them by what they produce.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.’
Build on the Rock(E)
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears what I say and obeys it will be like a wise person who built a house on rock. 25 Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not collapse, because its foundation was on rock.
26 “Everyone who hears what I say but doesn’t obey it will be like a foolish person who built a house on sand. 27 Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and struck that house. It collapsed, and the result was a total disaster.”
28 When Yeshua finished this speech, the crowds were amazed at his teachings. 29 Unlike their experts in Moses’ Teachings, he taught them with authority.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.