The Sermon on the Mount

¹When Jesus saw the large crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him. ²Then he began to teach them, saying: ³"Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹Blessed are you when men revile you, persecute you, and falsely say all manner of evil against you for my sake. ¹²Rejoice and be overjoyed, because your reward in heaven is great! After all, they persecuted the prophets who came before you in the same way. ¹³You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It's worthless — fit only to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. ¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine in front of others so they can see the good things you do and give glory to your Father in heaven. ¹⁷Don't think I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I didn't come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸I tell you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter or the tiniest stroke of a pen will disappear from the law until all is fulfilled. ¹⁹So anyone who breaks even the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰I'm telling you, unless your righteousness goes far beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ²¹You've heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, 'You shall not murder,' and 'Anyone who murders will face judgment.' ²²But I tell you, anyone who is angry with his brother without cause will face judgment. Anyone who calls his brother 'Raca' will answer to the council. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. ²³So if you're bringing your gift to the altar and suddenly remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift right there in front of the altar. Go and make things right with your brother first, and then come back and offer your gift. ²⁵Settle matters quickly with someone who has a case against you, while you're still on the way to court. Otherwise, they may hand you over to the judge, the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you'll be thrown into prison. ²⁶I tell you the truth, you won't get out of there until you've paid every last penny. ²⁷You've heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' ²⁸But I tell you, anyone 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's better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It's better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³¹It has also been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' ³²But I tell you, anyone who divorces his wife — except for sexual immorality — causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ³³Again, you've heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, 'Don't break your oaths, but fulfill the vows you've made to the Lord.' ³⁴But I tell you, don't swear oaths at all — not by heaven, because it is God's throne; ³⁵not by the earth, because it is his footstool; and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Don't even swear by your own head, because you can't make a single hair white or black. ³⁷But let your word be “Yes, yes” and “No, no,” because anything more than these comes from evil. ³⁸You've heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' ³⁹But I tell you, don't resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to them as well. ⁴⁰If someone sues you and takes your coat, give them your cloak too. ⁴¹If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. ⁴²Give to anyone who asks you, and don't turn away from someone who wants to borrow from you. ⁴³You've heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴But I tell you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you. ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶If you only love the people who love you, what reward is there in that? Even the tax collectors do that much. ⁴⁷If you only greet your brothers, what are you doing that's any different? Even the tax collectors do that. ⁴⁸So be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Chapter 6¹Be careful not to do your charitable giving in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²So when you give to the needy, don't announce it with trumpets like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they may have glory from people. Truly, I tell you, they have their reward. ³Instead, when you give to the needy, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴Give your gifts in secret, and your Father who sees what's done in secret will reward you openly. ⁵When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners to be seen by others. Truly, I tell you, they have their reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door. Pray to your Father in that private place, and your Father who sees what's done in secret will reward you openly. ⁷When you pray, don't babble on and on with empty words the way the pagans do. They think God will hear them because of their many words. ⁸Don't be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you even ask him. ⁹So pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.' ¹⁰May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us today our daily bread. ¹²Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. ¹⁴For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ¹⁶When you fast, don't look gloomy like the hypocrites. They disfigure their faces so that others will see they are fasting. Truly, I tell you, they have their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face; ¹⁸so that no one will know you're fasting—only your Father, who sees what's done in secret. And your Father, who sees what's done in secret, will reward you openly. ¹⁹"Don't store up treasures for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy them and thieves break in and steal them. ²⁰Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust can't destroy them and thieves can't break in and steal them. ²¹Because wherever your treasure is, that's where your heart will be too. ²²The light of the body is the eye. Therefore, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light inside you is actually darkness, how deep that darkness must be! ²⁴No one can serve two masters, because he will either hate one and love the other, or stay loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. ²⁵"That's why I'm telling you: stop worrying about your life — what you'll eat or what you'll drink — or about your body — what you'll wear. Isn't life about more than food? Isn't the body about more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds in the sky. They don't plant seeds, they don't harvest crops, and they don't store food in barns — yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth far more than they are? ²⁷Which of you can add one cubit to his height by worrying? ²⁸And why worry about clothing? Look at how the lilies of the field grow. They don't work or spin thread, ²⁹yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is cast into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹"So stop worrying and saying, 'What are we going to eat?' or 'What are we going to drink?' or 'What are we going to wear?' ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³Instead, make the kingdom of God and his righteousness your first priority, and all these things will be provided for you as well. ³⁴So don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own problems. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Chapter 7¹Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. ²The standard you use to judge others is the standard that will be used on you. However you measure out to others will be measured back to you. ³Why do you notice the tiny speck in your brother's eye but ignore the wooden beam in your own? ⁴How can you say to your brother, 'Let me get that speck out of your eye,' when there's a beam sticking out of yours? ⁵You hypocrite! Pull the beam out of your own eye first. Then you'll be able to see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye. ⁶Don't give what is holy to dogs, and don't throw your pearls in front of pigs. They'll just trample them underfoot, then turn around and tear you to pieces. ⁷"Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸Because everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹Or which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰If he asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? ¹¹If you then, being 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! ¹²So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this is the law and the prophets. ¹³Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow, and the way is constricted, which leads to life, and few find it. ¹⁵Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are ravening wolves. ¹⁶You'll recognize them by what they produce. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Every good tree produces good fruit, but a corrupt tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, and a corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰So you'll recognize them by what they produce. ²¹Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven — only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven. ²²On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we cast out demons in your name? Didn't we perform many miracles in your name?' ²³Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who practice evil.' ²⁴So then, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. ²⁵The rain poured down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn't fall because it was founded on a rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the floods rose, and the winds blew and struck that house; and it fell, and its fall was great. ²⁸When Jesus finished saying all this, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹For he taught them as one with authority, unlike the scribes.