sermon on mount
1.
When Jesus* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down,
his disciples came to him.2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
2.
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted.
3.
‘Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
4.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
5.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will
receive mercy.
6.
‘Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they will see God.
7.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be
called children of God.
8.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’
sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
9.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely* on my account.12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in
the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
10.
Salt and Light
11.
‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt
has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for
anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
12.
‘You are the light of the world. A city built
on a hill cannot be hidden.15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket,
but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.16In the same way, let your
light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father in heaven.
13.
The Law and the Prophets
14.
‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the
law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil.18For truly I tell you,
until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,* not
one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.19Therefore, 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 does
them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20For I tell you, unless
your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never
enter the kingdom of heaven.
15.
Concerning Anger
16.
‘You have heard that it was said to those of
ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to
judgement.”22But I
say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,* you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult* a brother or sister,* you
will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable
to the hell* of fire.23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember
that your brother or sister* has something against you,24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be
reconciled to your brother or sister,* and
then come and offer your gift.25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way
to court* with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and
the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.26Truly I tell you, you
will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
17.
Concerning Adultery
18.
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall
not commit adultery.”28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.29If your right eye causes
you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of
your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.*30And if your right hand
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose
one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.*
19.
Concerning Divorce
20.
‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife,
let him give her a certificate of divorce.”32But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on
the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a
divorced woman commits adultery.
21.
Concerning Oaths
22.
‘Again, you have heard that it was said to
those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows
you have made to the Lord.”34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it
is the throne of God,35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for
it is the city of the great King.36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair
white or black.37Let
your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the
evil one.*
23.
Concerning Retaliation
24.
‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”39But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;40and if anyone wants to
sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;and if anyone forces you to
go one mile, go also the second mile.Give to everyone who begs from you, and do
not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
25.
Love for Enemies
26.
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall
love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you,45so that
you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the
evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.46For if you love those who
love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?47And if you greet only
your brothers and sisters,* what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles
do the same?48Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
27.
Concerning Almsgiving
28.
‘Beware of practising
your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no
reward from your Father in heaven.
29.
‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a
trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received
their reward.3But
when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing,4so that your alms may be
done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.*
30.
Concerning Prayer
31.
‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street
corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have
received their reward.6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and
pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will
reward you.*
32.
‘When you are praying, do
not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be
heard because of their many words.8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.
33.
‘Pray then in this way:
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 this day our
daily bread.*
12 And forgive us our
debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to
the time of trial,*
but rescue us from the evil one.*
14For if you forgive others
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;15but if you do not forgive
others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
34.
Concerning Fasting
35.
‘And whenever you fast, do
not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to
show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their
reward.17But when you fast, put
oil on your head and wash your face,18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your
Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.*
36.
Concerning Treasures
37.
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust* consume and where thieves break in and steal;20but store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust* consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.21For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
38.
The Sound Eye
39.
‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your
eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light;23but if your eye is
unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you
is darkness, how great is the darkness!
40.
Serving Two Masters
41.
‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave
will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.*
42.
Do Not Worry
43.
‘Therefore I tell you, do
not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,* or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than
food, and the body more than clothing?26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor
gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they?27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of
life?*28And why do you worry
about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither
toil nor spin,29yet I
tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.30But if God so clothes the
grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?31Therefore do not worry,
saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?”32For it is the Gentiles
who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things.33But strive first for the kingdom of God* and
his* righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well.
a.
‘So do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough
for today.
44.
Judging Others
45.
‘Do not judge, so that
you may not be judged.2For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the
measure you give will be the measure you get.3Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s* eye,
but do not notice the log in your own eye?4Or how can you say to your neighbour,* “Let
me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye?5You hypocrite, first take
the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck
out of your neighbour’s* eye.
46.
Profaning the Holy
47.
‘Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not
throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn
and maul you.
48.
Ask, Search, Knock
49.
‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and
you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.8For everyone who asks
receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the
door will be opened.9Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread,
will give a stone?10Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?11If you then, who are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
50.
The Golden Rule
51.
‘In everything do to
others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
52.
The Narrow Gate
53.
‘Enter through the narrow
gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy* that
leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.14For the gate is narrow
and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
54.
A Tree and Its Fruit
55.
‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in
sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.16You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from
thorns, or figs from thistles?17In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree
bears bad fruit.18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good
fruit.19Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20Thus you will know them
by their fruits.
56.
Concerning Self-Deception
57.
‘Not everyone who says to
me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the
will of my Father in heaven.22On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of
power in your name?”23Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me,
you evildoers.”
58.
Hearers and Doers
59.
‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine
and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.25The rain fell, the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because
it had been founded on rock.26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on
them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.27The rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and
great was its fall!’
60.
Now when Jesus had finished saying these
things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their
scribes.