Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount

1 Seeing the crowds a he went up on the mountain, and when he b sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

2 And c he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3  d “Blessed are e the poor in spirit, for f theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are g those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the h meek, for they i shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and j thirst k for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are l the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are m the pure in heart, for n they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are o the peacemakers, for p they shall be called q sons ▼
▼ Greek huioi; see Preface
 of God.

10  s “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for t theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11  u “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely v on my account. 12  w Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for x so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth y but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14  z “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15  aa Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ab that ▼
▼ Or house. 16Let your light so shine before others that
 they may see your good works and ad give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17  ae “Do not think that I have come to abolish af the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but ag to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you ah until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19  ai Therefore whoever relaxes aj one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least ak in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great al in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds am that of the scribes and Pharisees, you an will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

21  ao “You have heard that it was said to those of old ap ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable aq to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that ar everyone who is angry with his brother ▼
▼ Some manuscripts insert without cause
 will be liable at to judgment; whoever insults ▼
▼ Greek says Raca to (a term of abuse)
 his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to av the hell ▼
▼ Greek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30
 of fire. 23  ax So if ay you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25  az Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you ba you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. ▼
▼ Greek kodrantes, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)

Lust

27  bc “You have heard that it was said bd ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that be everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29  bf If your right eye bg causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into bh hell. 30  bi And if your right hand bj causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into bk hell.

Divorce

31  bl “It was also said bm ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32  bn But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and bo whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

33 “Again bp you have heard that it was said to those of old bq ‘You shall not swear falsely, but br shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you bs Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for bt it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is bu the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; bv anything more than this comes from evil. ▼
▼ Or the evil one

Retaliation

38  bx “You have heard that it was said by ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you bz Do not resist the one who is evil. But ca if anyone cb slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And cc if anyone would sue you and take your tunic ▼
▼ Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
 let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone ce forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42  cf Give to the one who begs from you, and cg do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

43  ch “You have heard that it was said ci ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you cj Love your enemies and ck pray for those who persecute you, 45  cl so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and cm sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46  cn For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers ▼
▼ Or  brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
 what more are you doing than others? Do not even cp the Gentiles do the same? 48  cq You therefore must be cr perfect cs as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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