The Beatitudes
1 And seeing the multitudes,He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth andtaught them, saying:
3 “Blessedarethe poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessedarethose who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessedarethe meek,
# Forthey shall inherit theearth.
6 Blessedarethose whohunger and thirst for righteousness,
# For they shall be filled.
7 Blessedarethe merciful,
# For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessedarethe pure in heart,
# Forthey shall see God.
9 Blessedarethe peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessedarethose who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds ofevil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for greatisyour reward in heaven, forso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth;but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do theylight a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to allwho arein the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men,that they may see your good works andglorify your Father in heaven.
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For assuredly, I say to you,till heaven and earth pass away, onejot or onetittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teachesthem,he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceedsthe righteousnessof the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder Begins in the Heart
21 “You have heard that it was said to thoseof old,‘You shall not murder,and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
22 But I say to you thatwhoever is angry with his brotherwithout a causeshall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother,‘Raca!’shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says,‘You fool!’ shall be in danger ofhell fire.
23 Thereforeif you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Agree with your adversary quickly,while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Adultery in the Heart
27 “You have heard that it was saidto those of old,‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoeverlooks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you tosin,pluck it out and castitfrom you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you tosin, cut it off and castitfrom you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Marriage Is Sacred and Binding
31 “Furthermore it has been said,‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
32 But I say to you thatwhoever divorces his wife for any reason exceptsexual immoralitycauses her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
Jesus Forbids Oaths
33 “Again you have heard thatit was said to those ofold,‘You shall not swear falsely, butshall perform your oaths to the Lord.’
34 But I say to you,do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it isGod’s throne;
35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city ofthe great King.
36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
37 But letyour ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Go the Second Mile
38 “You have heard that it was said,‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person.But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him haveyourcloak also.
41 And whoevercompels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 Give to him who asks you, andfrom him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said,‘You shall love your neighborand hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you,love your enemies, bless those who curse you,do good to those who hate you, and prayfor those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; forHe makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet yourbrethrenonly, what do you do morethan others?Do not even thetax collectorsdo so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, justas your Father in heaven is perfect.