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:

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.”

Do Not Be Hypocrites

6 “Be careful that you do not do your righteous works^[k] in front of people, so that they will notice. If you do, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ² So whenever you perform acts of mercy, do not sound a trumpet for yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets to be praised by people. Amen I tell you: They have received their reward. ³ Instead, when you perform acts of mercy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴ Then your acts of mercy will be in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.^[l]

⁵ “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by people. Amen I tell you: They have received their reward. ⁶ But whenever you pray, go into your private room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what others cannot see, will reward you.^[m]

The Lord’s Prayer

⁷ “And when you pray, do not babble like the heathen, since they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ However do not be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ Therefore pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. ¹³ Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’^[n]

¹⁴ “Indeed if you forgive people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

¹⁶ “Whenever you fast, do not make yourself look sad like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show everyone that they are fasting. Amen I tell you: They have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it is not apparent to people that you are fasting, but only to your Father who sees what is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Treasures

¹⁹ “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So then if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.^[o]

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

²⁷ “Which of you can add a single moment to his lifespan by worrying? ²⁸ Why do you worry about clothing? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin, ²⁹ but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not clothe you even more, you of little faith?

³¹ “So do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³² For the unbelievers^[p] chase after all these things. Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Consider the Beam in Your Own Eye

7 “Stop judging, so that you will not be judged. ² For with whatever standard you judge, you will be judged, and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you focus on^[q] the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye? ⁴ How will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ when, in fact, you have a beam in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Do Not Throw Your Pearls to Pigs

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.

Keep Praying

⁷ “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened for you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. ⁹ Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, would give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or who, if his son asks for a fish, would give him a snake? ¹¹ Then if you know how to give good gifts to your children, even though you are evil, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

¹² “So do for others whatever you want people to do for you, because this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow Gate

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate, and how difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Watch Out for False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. You do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do you? ¹⁷ So then, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, by their fruit you will recognize them. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and drive out demons in your name and perform many miracles in your name?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴ “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on bedrock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was founded on bedrock. ²⁶ Everyone who hears these words of mine but does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—it was completely destroyed.”

²⁸ When Jesus finished speaking these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught them as one who had authority, and not like their experts in the law.