Does
God
Exist?
(www.doesgodexist.org)
Matthew 5-7
New International Version (NIV)
Matthew 5
1 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.
4
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the
earth.
6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called
children of God.
10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult
you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great
is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you.
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.
14 “You are the light of the world. 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. 16 In
the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may
see your good deeds and glorify 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. 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. 19
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands
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.
21 “You have heard that it was said to
the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders
will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that
anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to
judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is
answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be
in danger of the fire of hell.
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.’ 28 But I
tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already
committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If
your right eye causes you to stumble, 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, 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.’
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.
33 “Again, you have heard that it was
said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill
to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do
not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his
footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
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’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
38 “You have heard that it was said,
‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 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. 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.
43 “You have heard that it was said,
‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I
tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45
that you may be children 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. 46 If you love those
who love you, what reward will you get? 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.
Matthew 6
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in
front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no
reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do
not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I
tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But
when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving
may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and
on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they
have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go
into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is
unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on
babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of
their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father
knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘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 today our daily bread.
12
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our
debtors.
13
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil
one.’
14 For if you forgive other people
when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others
their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as
the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others
they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their
reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your
head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not
be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your
Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full
of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full
of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great
is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both
God and money.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do
not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about
clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not
labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here
today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much
more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry,
saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not
worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each
day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 7
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in
the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of
sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank
in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there
is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite,
first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do
not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them
under their feet, and turn 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 to you.
8
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to
the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for
bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for
a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then,
though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good
gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything,
do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums
up the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For
wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it. 14 But small is the
gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find
it.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They
come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious
wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize
them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good
fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot
bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the
fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will
recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me
on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in
your name drive out demons and in your name perform many
miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I
never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these
words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who
built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house;
yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them
into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus
had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his
teaching, 29
because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their
teachers of the law.
From BibleGateway.com:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew
5-7&version=NIV