New Testament in a Year
Love Your Enemies(A)
27 “But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who ·are cruel to [hurt; mistreat] you. 29 If anyone ·slaps [strikes; hits] you on one cheek [C probably an insult or act of rejection, although it could be a stronger punch], ·offer him [T turn] the other cheek, too. If someone takes your coat, do not ·stop him from taking [withhold] your ·shirt [tunic]. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and when someone takes something that is yours, don’t ·ask for [demand] it back. 31 ·Do to others what [Treat others as] you would want them to ·do to [treat] you. 32 If you love only the people who love you, what ·praise [credit] should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them. 33 If you do good only to those who do good to you, what ·praise [credit] should you get? Even sinners do that! 34 If you lend things to people, ·always hoping to get something back [or …from whom you expect to be repaid], what ·praise [credit] should you get? Even sinners lend to other sinners ·so that they can get back the same amount [expecting to be repaid in full]! 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without ·hoping [expecting] to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and ·full of sin [wicked; evil]. 36 ·Show mercy [Be compassionate], just as your Father ·shows mercy [is compassionate].
Look at Yourselves(B)
37 “Don’t judge others, and you will not be judged. Don’t ·accuse others of being guilty [condemn others], and you will not be ·accused of being guilty [condemned]. ·Forgive [Pardon; Release], and you will be ·forgiven [pardoned; released]. 38 Give, and ·you will receive [L it will be given to you]. ·You will be given much [L …a good measure…]. ·Pressed down [Compacted], shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap [C the image is of grain overflowing its container]. The ·way you give to [standard/measure you use with] others is the ·way God will give to [standard/measure God will use with] you.”
39 Jesus told them this ·story [parable]: “Can a blind person ·lead [guide] another blind person? No! Both of them will fall into a ·ditch [pit; hole]. 40 A ·student [disciple] is not ·better than [above] the teacher, but ·the student [L everyone] who has been fully trained will be like the teacher.
41 “Why do you notice the ·little piece of dust [speck; tiny splinter] in your ·friend’s [L brother’s (or sister’s)] eye, but you don’t ·notice [consider] the ·big piece of wood [log; plank; beam] in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your ·friend [L brother], ‘·Friend [L Brother], let me take that ·little piece of dust [speck; tiny splinter] out of your eye’ when you cannot see that ·big piece of wood [log; plank; beam] in your own eye! You hypocrite! First, take the ·wood [log; plank; beam] out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the ·dust [speck; tiny splinter] out of your friend’s [L brother’s] eye.
Two Kinds of Fruit(C)
43 “[L For] A good tree does not produce ·bad [rotten] fruit, nor does a ·bad [rotten] tree produce good fruit. 44 [L For] Each tree is ·known [identified] by its own fruit. [L For] People don’t ·gather [pick] figs from thornbushes, and they don’t get grapes from ·bushes [brambles; briers]. 45 Good people bring good things out of the good ·they stored [treasured] in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil ·they stored [treasured] in their hearts. ·People speak the things that are in their hearts [L For the mouth speaks what overflows from the heart].
Two Kinds of People(D)
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me and ·hears [listens to] my words and ·obeys [acts on them]. 48 That person is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the floods came, the ·water [L river] ·tried to wash the house away [L swept/burst against that house], but it could not shake it, because the house was built well. 49 But the one who ·hears [listens to] my words and does not ·obey [act on them] is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. When the ·floods [L river] ·came [swept/burst against it], the house quickly ·fell [collapsed] and was completely destroyed.”
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