Matthew 5-7 (New International Version,
©2010)
Matthew 5
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
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.
The Beatitudes
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.
Salt and Light
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.
The Fulfillment of the Law
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.
Murder
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.
Adultery
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.
Divorce
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.
Oaths
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.
Eye for Eye
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.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love
your neighborand
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
Giving to the Needy
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.
Prayer
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.
Fasting
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.
Treasures in Heaven
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.
Do Not Worry
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
Judging Others
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.
Ask, Seek, Knock
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.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
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.
True and False Prophets
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.
True and False Disciples
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!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
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=NIV1984