Mat 5:7-48 | ESV | STEP | Blessed are the merciful , for they shall receive mercy .

7 “Blessed are ^athe merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are ^bthe pure in heart, for ^cthey shall see God.

9 “Blessed are ^dthe peacemakers, for ^ethey shall be called ^fsons ^{▼▼Greek huioi; see Preface} of God.

10 ^h“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for ⁱtheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 ^j“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ^kon my account. 12 ^lRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for ^mso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, ⁿbut if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 ^o“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 ^pNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ^qthat ^{▼▼Or house. 16Let your light so shine before others that} they may see your good works and ^sgive glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 ^t“Do not think that I have come to abolish ^uthe Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but ^vto fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, ^wuntil heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 ^xTherefore whoever relaxes ^yone of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least ^zin the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great ^aain the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds ^abthat of the scribes and Pharisees, you ^acwill never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

21 ^ad“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ^ae‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ^afto judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that ^ageveryone who is angry with his brother ^{▼▼Some manuscripts insert without cause} will be liable ^aito judgment; whoever insults ^{▼▼Greek says Raca to (a term of abuse)} his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to ^akthe hell ^{▼▼Greek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30} of fire. 23 ^amSo if ^anyou are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 ^aoCome to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, ^apyou will never get out until you have paid the last penny. ^{▼▼Greek kodrantes, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)}

Lust

27 ^ar“You have heard that it was said, ^as‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that ^ateveryone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 ^auIf your right eye ^avcauses you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into ^awhell. 30 ^axAnd if your right hand ^aycauses you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into ^azhell.

Divorce

31 ^ba“It was also said, ^bb‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 ^bcBut I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and ^bdwhoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

33 “Again ^beyou have heard that it was said to those of old, ^bf‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^bgshall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, ^bhDo not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for ^biit is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is ^bjthe city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; ^bkanything more than this comes from evil. ^{▼▼Or the evil one}

Retaliation

38 ^bm“You have heard that it was said, ^bn‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, ^boDo not resist the one who is evil. But ^bpif anyone ^bqslaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And ^brif anyone would sue you and take your tunic, ^{▼▼Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin} let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone ^btforces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 ^buGive to the one who begs from you, and ^bvdo not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

43 ^bw“You have heard that it was said, ^bx‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, ^byLove your enemies and ^bzpray for those who persecute you, 45 ^caso that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and ^cbsends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 ^ccFor if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters} what more are you doing than others? Do not even ^cethe Gentiles do the same? 48 ^cfYou therefore must be ^cgperfect, ^chas your heavenly Father is perfect.