Matthew 7
Living Bible
7 “Don’t criticize, and then you won’t be criticized. 2 For others will treat you as you treat them. 3 And why worry about a speck in the eye of a brother when you have a board in your own? 4 Should you say, ‘Friend, let me help you get that speck out of your eye,’ when you can’t even see because of the board in your own? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the board. Then you can see to help your brother.
6 “Don’t give holy things to depraved men. Don’t give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls and turn and attack you.
7 “Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Anyone who seeks, finds. If only you will knock, the door will open. 9 If a child asks his father for a loaf of bread, will he be given a stone instead? 10 If he asks for fish, will he be given a poisonous snake? Of course not! 11 And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?
12 “Do for others what you want them to do for you. This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell.[a]
13 “Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell[b] is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. 14 But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
15 “Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart. 16 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You need never confuse grapevines with thorn bushes or figs with thistles. 17 Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit. 18 A variety that produces delicious fruit never produces an inedible kind. And a tree producing an inedible kind can’t produce what is good. 19 So the trees having the inedible fruit are chopped down and thrown on the fire. 20 Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person[c] is by the kind of fruit produced.
21 “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 At the Judgment[d] many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine.[e] Go away, for your deeds are evil.’
24 “All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock.
26 “But those who hear my instructions and ignore them are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand. 27 For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” 28 The crowds were amazed at Jesus’ sermons, 29 for he taught as one who had great authority, and not as their Jewish leaders.[f]
Footnotes
- Matthew 7:12 This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell, literally, “This is the law and the prophets.”
- Matthew 7:13 The highway to hell, literally, “The way that leads to destruction.”
- Matthew 7:20 or a person, implied.
- Matthew 7:22 At the Judgment, literally, “In that day.”
- Matthew 7:23 You have never been mine, literally, “I never knew you.”
- Matthew 7:29 not as their Jewish leaders, literally, “not as the scribes.” These leaders only quoted others, and did not presume to present any fresh revelation.
Matthew 7
King James Version
7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Matteus 7
En Levende Bok
Om å dømme andre
7 Jesus fortsatte: ”Dere skal ikke dømme andre, for da blir dere ikke selv dømt. 2 Gud kommer til å behandle dere på samme måte som dere behandler andre. Den målestokken dere bruker når dere dømmer andre, den kommer Gud til å bruke når han dømmer dere. 3 Hvorfor henger du deg opp i bagatellmessige svakheter hos dine medmennesker, når du ikke erkjenner dine egne feil som er mye større? 4 Hvorfor sier du til andre: ’Kom hit så skal jeg åpne øynene på deg slik at du ser feilene dine,’ mens du samtidig er blind for egne feil? 5 Du falske menneske som bare later som om du er lydig mot Gud! Først må du rette dine egne feil! Etterpå kan du se klart nok til å hjelpe dine medmennesker med sine.
6 Gi ikke Guds budskap til folk som ikke vil lyde ham. Det er som å kaste perler for grisene. De kommer til å trampe på budskapet og etterpå vende seg om og angripe dere.
Be, så skal dere få
7 Be, så skal dere få. Let, så skal dere finne. Bank på, så skal døren bli åpnet for dere. 8 For alle som ber, de får. Alle som leter, de finner. Og for alle som banker på, skal døren bli åpnet.
9-10 Dere som er foreldre, dere gir vel ikke barnet deres en stein når det ber om brød, eller en orm når det ber om en fisk? Naturligvis ikke! 11 Om nå dere som er onde og hardhjertet har forstand til å gi gode gaver til barna deres, skulle da ikke deres Far i himmelen gi gode gaver til dem som ber ham om det?
Den gylne regelen
12 Dere skal være på samme måten mot andre, som dere vil at de skal være mot dere. Dette er den leveregelen Gud har fortalt om i Moseloven og profetene.[a]
Den trange porten
13 Den som vil bli frelst, må gå inn gjennom den trange porten. Veien til evig straff er bred, og porten inn dit er vid, og mange er det som velger denne lette veien. 14 Men porten til livet er trang, og veien dit inn er smal. Derfor er det få som finner den.
Treet blir kjent igjen på frukten
15 Ta dere i vare for den sorten mennesker som sprer falske budskap om Gud. De kommer til dere forkledd som uskyldige sauer, men er i virkeligheten glupske ulver som vil slite dere i filler. 16 Dere kan kjenne dem igjen på handlingene deres, på samme måten som dere kjenner igjen trærne og buskene på den sorten frukt de bærer. Ingen plukker jo druer på tornebusker eller fiken på tistler. 17 Et godt tre bærer god frukt, og et dårlig tre bærer dårlig frukt. 18 Et godt tre kan ikke bære dårlig frukt, og et dårlig tre kan ikke bære god frukt. 19 Hvert tre som ikke bærer god frukt, blir hogget ned og brent opp. 20 På samme måten som et tre blir kjent igjen på frukten, kan dere altså kjenne igjen menneskene på handlingene deres.
Sanne disipler
21 Ikke alle som snakker godt om meg, er disiplene mine. Mange kaller meg ’Herre’, men vil likevel ikke få tilhøre Guds eget folk.[b] Det avgjørende spørsmålet er om de er lydige mot min Far i himmelen eller ikke.
22 På den dagen da dommen faller, skal mange si til meg: ’Herre, Herre! Vi har jo båret fram budskapet fra Gud i navnet ditt, drevet ut onde ånder og gjorde mirakler i navnet ditt.’ 23 Da skal jeg si dem sannheten: ’Jeg kjenner dere ikke. Forsvinn herfra! Det dere har gjort, det har dere gjort i den onde sin tjeneste.’
Om å bygge på fast grunn
24 Den som hører undervisningen min og handler etter den, er klok. Han ligner på en som bygger huset sitt på fjell. 25 Selv om det blir skybrudd og oversvømmelse, og stormen blåser med voldsom kraft mot huset, så raser det likevel ikke sammen fordi det er bygget på fast grunn.
26 Men den som hører undervisningen min og ikke handler etter den, er en dåre. Han ligner en som bygger huset sitt på løs sand. 27 Når regnet kommer og det blir oversvømmelse, og stormen blåser mot huset, da faller det sammen med et stort brak.”
28 Da Jesus hadde avsluttet denne talen, var folket forundret over undervisningen hans. 29 Han underviste med innsikt og autoritet, og ikke som deres de skriftlærde[c].
Footnotes
- 7:12 Moseloven og profetenes bok er to av delene i den jødiske Skriften, det vil si Bibelens første del, den som vi kaller Det gamle testamente. Den tredje delen er salmene.
- 7:21 På gresk: ikke komme inn i himmelriket.
- 7:29 Fariseerne var eksperter på loven, som er et annet navn for hele den jødiske Skriften, det vil si Bibelens første del, den som vi kaller Det gamle testamente.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
En Levende Bok: Det Nye Testamentet Copyright © 1978, 1988 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.