5 Jesus saw that crowds of people were following him. So he went up a hill and he sat down there to teach them. His disciples came near to listen to him. 2 He began to teach them. This is what he said:
3 ‘Happy are the people who know that they need God very much.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like that. [ a ]
4 Happy are the people who are sad now.
God will come near to help them. [ b ]
5 Happy are the people who are kind.
The whole earth will belong to them.
6 Happy are the people who want to obey God, as much as they want to eat food.
God will give to them everything that they need.
7 Happy are the people who help other people and who forgive them.
God will forgive people like that.
8 Happy are the people who have only good thoughts.
They will come near to God and see him.
9 Happy are the people who bring people together to be friends.
God will call them his children.
10 Happy are the people who do what is right but other people hurt them because of it.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like that.
11 Yes, happy are you when people say bad things against you because you believe in me. Or they may hurt you. Or they may say things about you that are not true. 12 God is preparing many good things for you in heaven. So you should be very happy when people do these bad things to any of you. People did these same things to God's prophets who lived long ago.’
13 Jesus said, ‘You are like salt for all people to taste and use. Salt is good. But if it is not salty any more, you cannot make it salty again. People can no longer use it for anything. They just throw it away and they walk on it.
14 You are like a light for everybody in this world. If people build a city on a hill, then other people can see it easily. 15 Nobody lights a lamp and then puts it under a pot. He will put the lamp in a high place. [ c ] Everybody who is in the house can then see the light from the lamp. 16 You must be sure that your light shines well. Then you will give light to other people. They will see all the good things that you do. [ d ] Then they will praise God, who is your Father in heaven.’
17 Jesus said, ‘You should not think that I have come to destroy God's Law. Also, I have not come to destroy the messages that God's prophets wrote down. No, I have not come to destroy their words. I have come to make what they taught become true. 18 I tell you this: One day, even the earth and the sky will finish. But while they remain, God's Law will also remain. Nobody can remove even the smallest thing from it. The Law will remain until everything in it has happened.
19 A person may choose not to obey a rule in God's Law. He may think it is the least important rule. He may also teach other people to think like that. Then God will call him the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But a person may choose to obey all the rules in God's Law. And he may teach other people to obey them too. Then God will call that person great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 I tell you this: You must always do what is right. You must live in a way that is better than the teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees. [ e ] You will never come into the kingdom of heaven if you do not do better than them.’
21 Jesus then said, ‘You know the rule that God gave to your ancestors: “You must not kill anyone. Any person who does kill someone will stand in front of a judge. [ f ] The judge will punish him because he has done a wrong thing.” 22 But what I now say to you is this: Anybody who is angry with his brother will have to stand in front of a judge. Or someone might call his brother by a bad name. Then he will have to stand in front of the Jewish leaders. They will judge him. But someone may say to his brother, “You are a fool.” [ g ] God will judge that person. God may punish him in the fires of hell.
23 Maybe you go to the temple to give your gift to God. You take it to the altar. But then you remember that your brother is angry with you. 24 You must leave your gift there in front of God's altar. First you must go and find your brother. Tell him that you are sorry. Then you can both become friends with each other again. After that, you can return to the altar and give your gift to God.
25 Also, somebody may say that you have done something wrong against him. He may take you to stand in front of the judge. [ h ] You should quickly try to agree with this person. Decide with him how to make things right again. Do this even while you are going with him to the judge. If you do not do that, the judge may agree that you have done a wrong thing. Then he will give you to his officer. His officer will put you in prison. 26 I tell you this: You will remain in prison until you have paid all the money, even the last small coin.’
27 Jesus then said, ‘You know what God's rule says: “You must not have sex with anyone who is not your husband or your wife.” 28 But what I tell you is this: A man may look at a woman who is not his wife. And he may want to have sex with her. In his thoughts, he has had sex with her, so he has done a wrong thing. 29 If your right eye leads you to do wrong things, then you should take it out. You should throw it away. Yes, you will lose one eye. But it will be much worse if you keep your whole body and God throws you into hell. 30 Also, if your right hand leads you to do wrong things, then you should cut it off. You should throw it away. You will lose one hand. But it will be much worse if you keep your body in one piece and go to hell.’ [ i ]
31 ‘God's Law also says: “Any man who wants to send his wife away must give her a letter. This letter must say that they are no longer married.” 32 But what I tell you is this: A man must not send his wife away except for one reason. He may only send her away if she has had sex with another man. If he sends her away for any other reason, he has done a wrong thing. It is like he has caused her to have sex with another man. Also, if a woman has left her husband, another man must not marry her. That is the same as if he had sex with another man's wife.’
33 ‘You also know the rule that God gave to your ancestors: “If you make a promise to God, you must do what you have said.” 34 But what I tell you is this. Do not use any name to make a promise stronger. Do not use the words “by heaven” to make a promise stronger. Heaven is the place where God rules. Do not use the words “by the earth” to make a promise stronger. The earth is the place where God rests his feet. 35 Do not use the words “by Jerusalem” to make a promise stronger. Jerusalem is God's city. He is the great King who rules from there. 36 Do not use the words “by my head” to make a promise. You cannot make the colour of even one of your hairs black or white. 37 Instead, when you make a promise, you should say only “Yes, I will do it.” Or you should say only “No, I will not do it.” If you say anything more than this, what you say is bad. [ j ] It comes from Satan.’
38 Jesus then said, ‘You also know that God's Law says: “If somebody destroys your eye, then you should destroy that person's eye. If somebody destroys your tooth, then you should destroy that person's tooth.” 39 But what I tell you is this. If somebody does something bad to you, do not do anything against him. [ k ] Somebody may slap you on one side of your face. Then you should also let him slap the other side of your face.
40 Maybe somebody wants to take you to the judge. He says that you should give him your shirt. Give the man your shirt, and give him your coat too. 41 Or a soldier may tell you, “Carry my luggage for one kilometre.” You should do that. Even agree to carry it for two kilometres. 42 When people ask you for something, you should give it to them. If they ask you to lend them something, then you should not refuse.
43 You have heard people say, “Love the people who are your friends. But hate those who want to hurt you.” 44 What I tell you is this: You should love the people who want to hurt you. If people want to give you pain, pray for them. Pray that God would help them. 45 If you live like this, you will show that you really are children of your Father above. God is kind to everyone. He causes the sun to shine on everyone, both good people and bad people. He also causes the rain to fall on everyone, people who obey him and people who do not obey him. 46 Do you only love people who love you? God will not give you good things just for doing that. Even the men who take taxes love their friends! [ l ]
47 If you are only kind to your friends, then you are not doing anything special. Even people who do not believe in God do that. 48 So you must be good in every way, as your Father above is good in every way.’
5 When Jesus saw the crowds of people there, he went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came and sat next to him. 2 Then Jesus began teaching the people. He said,
3 “Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need. [ a ]
God’s kingdom belongs to them.
4 Great blessings belong to those who are sad now.
God will comfort them.
5 Great blessings belong to those who are humble.
They will be given the land God promised. [ b ]
6 Great blessings belong to those who want to do right more than anything else. [ c ]
God will fully satisfy them.
7 Great blessings belong to those who show mercy to others.
Mercy will be given to them.
8 Great blessings belong to those whose thoughts are pure.
They will be with God.
9 Great blessings belong to those who work to bring peace.
God will call them his sons and daughters.
10 Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution for doing what is right.
God’s kingdom belongs to them.
11 “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. 12 Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, it cannot be made salty again. Salt is useless if it loses its salty taste. It will be thrown out where people will just walk on it.
14 “You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. 15 People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
17 “Don’t think that I have come to destroy the Law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have come not to destroy their teachings but to give full meaning to them. 18 I assure you that nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until it has all been done.
19 “A person should obey every command in the law, even one that does not seem important. Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches others not to obey it will be the least important in God’s kingdom. But whoever obeys the law and teaches others to obey it will be great in God’s kingdom. 20 I tell you that you must do better than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. If you are not more pleasing to God than they are, you will never enter God’s kingdom.
21 “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone. [ d ] Any person who commits murder will be judged.’ 22 But I tell you, don’t be angry with anyone. If you are angry with others, you will be judged. And if you insult someone, you will be judged by the high court. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “So, what if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that someone has something against you? 24 Leave your gift there and go make peace with that person. Then come and offer your gift.
25 “If anyone wants to take you to court, make friends with them quickly. Try to do that before you get to the court. If you don’t, they might hand you over to the judge. And the judge will hand you over to a guard, who will throw you into jail. 26 I assure you that you will not leave there until you have paid everything you owe.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ [ e ] 28 But I tell you that if a man looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, he has already committed that sin with her in his mind. 29 If your right eye makes you sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Any man who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’ [ f ] 32 But I tell you that any man who divorces his wife, except for the problem of sexual sin, is causing his wife to be guilty of adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman is guilty of adultery.
33 “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘When you make a vow, you must not break your promise. Keep the vows that you make to the Lord.’ [ g ] 34 But I tell you, when you make a promise, don’t try to make it stronger with a vow. Don’t make a vow using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne. 35 Don’t make a vow using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to him. [ h ] Don’t make a vow using the name of Jerusalem, because it also belongs to him, the great King. 36 And don’t even say that your own head is proof that you will keep your promise. You cannot make one hair on your head white or black. 37 Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’ If you say more than that, it is from the Evil One.
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, don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. 40 If anyone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. 41 If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile, [ j ] go with him two. 42 Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor [ k ] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. 45 If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. 46 If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. 47 And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. 48 What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
5 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
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.
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.
17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the ( V ) Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, ( W ) until heaven and earth pass away, not [ g ] the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [ h ] others to do the same, shall be called least ( X ) in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [ i ] keeps and teaches them , he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your ( Y ) righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “ ( Z ) You have heard that [ j ] the ancients were told, ‘ ( AA ) You shall not murder ,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to ( AB ) the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to ( AC ) the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘ [ k ] You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to [ l ] ( AD ) the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the [ m ] ( AE ) fiery hell. 23 Therefore, if you are ( AF ) presenting your [ n ] offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your [ o ] offering there before the altar and go; first be ( AG ) reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your [ p ] offering. 25 ( AH ) [ q ] Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court , so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, ( AI ) you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last [ r ] quadrans.
27 “ ( AJ ) You have heard that it was said, ‘ ( AK ) You shall not commit adultery ’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman ( AL ) with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 Now ( AM ) if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body , [ s ] than for your whole body to be thrown into [ t ] ( AN ) hell. 30 And ( AO ) if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you [ u ] to lose one of the parts of your body , [ v ] than for your whole body to go into [ w ] ( AP ) hell.
31 “Now it was said, ‘ ( AQ ) Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce ’; 32 ( AR ) but I say to you that everyone who [ x ] divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a [ y ] divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again, ( AS ) you have heard that [ z ] the ancients were told, ‘ [ aa ] ( AT ) You shall not [ ab ] make false vows, but shall fulfill your [ ac ] vows to the Lord .’ 34 But I say to you, ( AU ) take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is ( AV ) the throne of God, 35 nor by the earth, for it is the ( AW ) footstool of His feet, nor [ ad ] by Jerusalem, for it is ( AX ) the city of the great King . 36 Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But make sure your statement is, ‘ [ ae ] Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is [ af ] of ( AY ) evil origin .
38 “ ( AZ ) You have heard that it was said, ‘ ( BA ) Eye for eye , and tooth for tooth .’ 39 But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but ( BB ) whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your [ ag ] tunic, let him have your [ ah ] cloak also. 41 Whoever [ ai ] forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 ( BC ) Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
43 “ ( BD ) You have heard that it was said, ‘ ( BE ) You shall love your neighbor ( BF ) and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, ( BG ) love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may prove yourselves to be ( BH ) 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 ( BI ) 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 ( BJ ) you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ( B )
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted. ( C )
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth. ( D )
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. ( E )
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy. ( F )
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, ( G )
for they will see God. ( H )
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, ( I )
for they will be called children of God. ( J )
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, ( K )
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ( L )
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, ( M ) persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ( N ) 12 Rejoice and be glad, ( O ) because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ( P )
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. ( Q )
14 “You are the light of the world. ( R ) A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ( S ) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, ( T ) that they may see your good deeds ( U ) and glorify ( V ) your Father in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ( W ) 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ( X ) 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands ( Y ) and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. ( Z )
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, [ a ] ( AB ) and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry ( AC ) with a brother or sister [ b ] [ c ] will be subject to judgment. ( AD ) Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ [ d ] is answerable to the court. ( AE ) And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. ( AF )
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ [ e ] ( AG ) 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ( AH ) 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, ( AI ) gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, ( AJ ) cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ [ f ] ( AK ) 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ( AL )
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, ( AM ) but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ( AN ) 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: ( AO ) either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ( AP ) 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ( AQ ) 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; ( AR ) anything beyond this comes from the evil one. [ g ] ( AS )
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ [ h ] ( AT ) 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ( AU ) 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ( AV )
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor [ i ] ( AW ) and hate your enemy.’ ( AX ) 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ( AY ) 45 that you may be children ( AZ ) of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ( BA ) 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? ( BB ) Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ( BC )
