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 And ^(C)He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “^[b](D)Blessed are the poor in spirit, for ^(E)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are ^(F)those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are ^(G)the ^[c]gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are ^(H)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are ^(I)the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are ^(J)the pure in heart, for ^(K)they will see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for ^(L)they will 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 this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Disciples and the World

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but ^(Q)if the salt has become tasteless, how ^[d]can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.

¹⁴ “You are ^(R)the light of the world. A city set on a ^[e]hill cannot be hidden; ^15 (S)nor do people 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 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may ^(T)see your good works, and ^(U)glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches

15 “^(A)I am the true vine, and My Father is the ^(B)vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He ^[a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ^3 (C)You are already ^[b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ^4 (D)Remain in Me, ^[c]and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit ^[d]of itself ^[e]but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him ^[f](E)bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in Me, he is ^(F)thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ^(G)ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My ^(H)Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so ^[g](I)prove to be My disciples. ⁹ Just as ^(J)the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. ^10 (K)If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as ^(L)I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. ^11 (M)These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your ^(N)joy may be made full.

Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

¹² “This is ^(O)My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. ^13 (P)Greater love has no one than this, that a person will ^(Q)lay down his life for his friends.

^18 (A)You shall not take vengeance, ^(B)nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but ^(C)you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

¹⁷ ‘You ^(A)shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you ^(B)may certainly rebuke your neighbor, but you are not to incur sin because of him.

^8 [a]To sum up, ^(A)all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, ^[b](B)loving, ^(C)compassionate, and ^(D)humble; ^9 (E)not returning evil for evil or ^(F)insult for insult, but giving a ^(G)blessing instead; for ^(H)you were called for the very purpose that you would ^(I)inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For,

^13 (M)And who is ^[c]there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?

⁴³ “^(A)You have heard that it was said, ‘^(B)You shall love your neighbor ^(C)and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, ^(D)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may prove yourselves to be ^(E)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 ^(F)if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? ⁴⁸ Therefore ^(G)you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

^20 (A)If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he ^(B)hates his brother or sister, he is a ^(C)liar; for ^(D)the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, ^(E)cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹ And ^(F)this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God ^(G)must also love his brother and sister.

⁴ Love ^(A)is patient, love is kind, it ^(B)is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not ^(C)arrogant. ⁵ It does not act disgracefully, it ^(D)does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, ^(E)does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, ^6 (F)it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ^(G)rejoices with the truth; ⁷ it ^[a](H)keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.