Mat 5-7 | ESV | STEP | Seeing the crowds , he went up on the mountain , and when he sat down , his disciples came to him .

2 And ^che opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 ^d“Blessed are ^ethe poor in spirit, for ^ftheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are ^gthose who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the ^hmeek, for they ⁱshall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and ^jthirst ^kfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

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

8 “Blessed are ^mthe pure in heart, for ⁿthey shall see God.

9 “Blessed are ^othe peacemakers, for ^pthey shall be called ^qsons ^{▼▼Greek huioi; see Preface} of God.

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

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

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, ^ybut 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 ^z“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 ^aaNor 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 ^abthat ^{▼▼Or house. 16Let your light so shine before others that} they may see your good works and ^adgive glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 ^ae“Do not think that I have come to abolish ^afthe Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but ^agto fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, ^ahuntil heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 ^aiTherefore whoever relaxes ^ajone of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least ^akin the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great ^alin the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds ^amthat of the scribes and Pharisees, you ^anwill never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

21 ^ao“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ^ap‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ^aqto judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that ^areveryone who is angry with his brother ^{▼▼Some manuscripts insert without cause} will be liable ^atto 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 ^avthe hell ^{▼▼Greek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30} of fire. 23 ^axSo if ^ayyou 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 ^azCome 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, ^bayou 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 ^bc“You have heard that it was said, ^bd‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that ^beeveryone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 ^bfIf your right eye ^bgcauses 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 ^bhhell. 30 ^biAnd if your right hand ^bjcauses 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 ^bkhell.

Divorce

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

Oaths

33 “Again ^bpyou have heard that it was said to those of old, ^bq‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^brshall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, ^bsDo not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for ^btit is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is ^buthe 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’; ^bvanything more than this comes from evil. ^{▼▼Or the evil one}

Retaliation

38 ^bx“You have heard that it was said, ^by‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, ^bzDo not resist the one who is evil. But ^caif anyone ^cbslaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And ^ccif 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 ^ceforces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 ^cfGive to the one who begs from you, and ^cgdo not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

43 ^ch“You have heard that it was said, ^ci‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, ^cjLove your enemies and ^ckpray for those who persecute you, 45 ^clso 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 ^cmsends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 ^cnFor 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 ^cpthe Gentiles do the same? 48 ^cqYou therefore must be ^crperfect, ^csas your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 6

Giving to the Needy

1 “Beware of ^ctpracticing your righteousness before other people in order ^cuto be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 ^cv“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may ^cwbe praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have ^cxreceived their reward. 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. ^cyAnd your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord’s Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love ^czto stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. ^daTruly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, ^dbgo into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. ^dcAnd your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as ^ddthe Gentiles do, for ^dethey think that they will be heard ^dffor their many words. 8 Do not be like them, ^dgfor your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 ^dhPray then like this:

^di“Our Father in heaven,
^djhallowed be ^dkyour name. ^{▼▼Or Let your name be kept holy, or Let your name be treated with reverence}
10 ^dmYour kingdom come,
^dnyour will be done, ^{▼▼Or Let your kingdom come, let your will be done}
^dpon earth as it is in heaven.
11 ^dqGive us ^drthis day our daily bread, ^{▼▼Or our bread for tomorrow}
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And ^dtlead us not into temptation,
but ^dudeliver us from ^dvevil. ^{▼▼Or the evil one; some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen}
14 ^dxFor if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 ^dybut if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

16 “And ^dzwhen you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. ^eaTruly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, ^ebanoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. ^ecAnd your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

19 ^ed“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where ^eemoth and rust ^{▼▼Or worm; also verse 20} destroy and where thieves ^egbreak in and steal, 20 ^ehbut lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 ^ei“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 ^ejbut if ^ekyour eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 ^el“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and ^emmoney. ^{▼▼Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions}

Do Not Be Anxious

25 ^eo“Therefore I tell you, ^epdo not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 ^eqLook at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. ^erAre you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^esspan of life? ^{▼▼Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, ^eueven Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, ^evO you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For ^ewthe Gentiles seek after all these things, and ^exyour heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But ^eyseek first ^ezthe kingdom of God and his righteousness, ^faand all these things will be added to you.

34 ^fb“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 7

Judging Others

1 ^fc“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 ^fdFor with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and ^fewith the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but ^ffdo not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

6 ^fg“Do not give ^fhdogs what is holy, and do not throw your ^fipearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Ask, and It Will Be Given

7 ^fj“Ask, ^fkand it will be given to you; ^flseek, and you will find; ^fmknock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for ^fnbread, will give him ^foa stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, ^fpwho are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will ^fqyour Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

12 “So ^frwhatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is ^fsthe Law and the Prophets.

13 ^ft“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy ^{▼▼Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy} that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and ^fvthe way is hard that leads to life, and ^fwthose who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

15 ^fx“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ^fyravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them ^fzby their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, ^gaevery healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 ^gbEvery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them ^gcby their fruits.

I Never Knew You

21 ^gd“Not everyone who ^gesays to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^gfenter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^ggdoes the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 ^ghOn that day ^gimany will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not ^gjprophesy in your name, and cast out demons ^gkin your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 ^glAnd then will I declare to them, ‘I ^gmnever knew you; ^gndepart from me, ^goyou workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

24 ^gp“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like ^gqa wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like ^gra foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, ^gsthe crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 ^gtfor he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.