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And Jesus, seeing the people, went up into the hill; and when he was set, his disciples came to him.[a]

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, and said [saying],

Blessed be poor men in spirit, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs. [Blessed be the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.]

Blessed be mild men [Blessed mild], for they shall wield the earth.

Blessed be they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed be they that hunger and thirst rightwiseness, for they shall be fulfilled [for they shall be filled].

Blessed be merciful men [Blessed the merciful], for they shall get mercy.

Blessed be they that be of clean heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed be peaceable men, for they shall be called God's children. [Blessed the peaceable, for they shall be called the sons of God.]

10 Blessed be they that suffer persecution for rightwiseness, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs [for the kingdom of heaven is theirs].

11 Blessed be ye, when men shall curse you, and shall pursue you [and pursue you], and shall say all evil against you lying, for me.

12 Joy ye, and be ye glad [full out], for your meed is plenteous in heavens; for so they have pursued the prophets also that were before you.

13 Ye be salt of the earth; that if the salt [shall] vanish away, wherein shall it be salted? To nothing it is worth over, but that it be cast out, and be defouled of men.

14 Ye be [the] light of the world; a city set on an hill may not be hid;

15 nor men tendeth a lantern, and putteth it under a bushel [neither men tend a lantern, and put it under a bushel], but on a candlestick, that it give light to all that be in the house.

16 So shine your light before men, that they see your good works, and glorify your Father that is in heavens.

17 Do not ye deem, that I came to undo the law, or the prophets; I came not to undo the law, but to fulfill.[b]

18 Forsooth I say to you, till heaven and earth pass, one letter [one i, that is the least letter,] or one tittle shall not pass from the law, till all things be done.

19 Therefore he that breaketh one of these least commandments, and teacheth thus men, shall be called the least in the realm of heavens; but he that doeth, and teacheth, shall be called great in the kingdom of heavens.

20 And I say to you, that but your rightwiseness [shall] be more plenteous than of scribes and of Pharisees[c], ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavens.

21 Ye have heard that it was said to old men, Thou shalt not slay; and he that slayeth, shall be guilty to the doom [shall be guilty of doom].

22 But I say to you, that each man that is wroth to his brother, shall be guilty to doom; and he that saith to his brother, Fie! shall be guilty to the council; but he that saith Fool, shall be guilty to the fire of hell. [But I say to you, that ever-each that is wroth to his brother, shall be guilty of doom; forsooth he that shall say to his brother, Raca, that is, a word of scorn, shall be guilty of council; soothly he that shall say, Fool, that is, a word of despising, shall be guilty of the fire of hell.]

23 Therefore if thou offerest thy gift at the altar, and there thou bethinkest, that thy brother hath somewhat against thee [and there bethinkest, that thy brother hath something against thee],

24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then thou shalt come, and shalt offer thy gift.

25 Be thou consenting to thine adversary soon, while thou art in the way with him, lest peradventure thine adversary take thee to the doomsman, and the doomsman take thee to the minister [lest peradventure thine adversary take thee to the judge, and the judge take thee to the minister], and thou be sent into prison.

26 Truly I say to thee, Thou shalt not go out from thence [Thou shalt not go thence], till thou yield the last farthing.

27 Ye have heard that it was said to old men, Thou shalt not do lechery.

28 But I say to you, that every man that seeth a woman [for] to covet her, hath now done lechery by her in his heart [now he hath done lechery with her in his heart].

29 That if thy right eye cause thee to stumble [That if thy right eye offend thee], pull it out, and cast it from thee; for it speedeth to thee, that one of thy members perish, than that all thy body go into hell.

30 And if thy right hand cause thee to stumble [And if thy right hand offend thee], cut it away, and cast [it] from thee; for it speedeth to thee that one of thy members perish, than that all thy body go into hell.

31 And it hath been said, Whoever leaveth his wife, give he to her a bill of forsaking. [Forsooth it is said, Whoever shall leave his wife, give he to her a libel, that is, a little book of forsaking.]

32 But I say to you, that every man that leaveth his wife [that every man that shall leave his wife], except (for) [the] cause of fornication, maketh her to do lechery, and he that weddeth the forsaken wife, doeth adultery.

33 Again ye have heard, that it was said to old men, Thou shalt not forswear, but thou shalt yield thine oaths to the Lord. [Again ye have heard, that it was said to old men, Thou shalt not forswear, but to the Lord thou shalt yield thine oaths.]

34 But I say to you, that ye swear not for any thing [Forsooth I say to you, to not swear on all manner]; neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

35 neither by the earth, for it is the stool of his feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of a great king [for it is the city of the great king];

36 neither thou shalt swear by thine head, for thou mayest not make one hair white, or black;

37 but be your word, Yea, yea; Nay, nay [but your word be Yea, yea; Nay, nay]; and that that is more than these, is of evil.

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.

39 But I say to you, that ye against-stand not an evil man; but if any smite thee in the right cheek, show to him also the other;[d]

40 and to him that will strive with thee in doom, and take away thy coat, leave to him also thy mantle [leave thou to him and thine over-cloth];

41 and whoever constraineth thee a thousand paces, go thou with him other twain. [and whoever constrain thee a thousand paces, go thou with him other two.]

42 Give thou to him that asketh of thee [Forsooth give to him that asketh of thee], and turn thou not away from him that will borrow of thee.

43 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say to you, love ye your enemies, do ye well to them that hate you, and pray ye for them that pursue, and slander you [and pray ye for men pursuing, and falsely challenging you];

45 that ye be the sons of your Father that is in heavens, that maketh his sun to rise upon good men and evil [that maketh his sun to rise on good and on evil men], and raineth on just men and unjust.

46 For if ye love them that love you, what meed shall ye have? whether [the] publicans do not this thing?

47 And if ye greet your brethren only, what shall ye do more? do not heathen men this? [And if ye greet, or salute, your brethren only, what moreover shall ye do? whether and pagans do not this thing?]

48 Therefore be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:1 Jesus forsooth, seeing the companies, went up into an hill; and when he had sat, his disciples came nigh to him.
  2. Matthew 5:17 Do not ye guess, or deem, that I came to undo, or destroy, the law, or the prophets; I came not to destroy, or undo, but to fulfill.
  3. Matthew 5:20 Forsooth I say to you, that but your rightwiseness shall be more plenteous than of scribes and Pharisees
  4. Matthew 5:39 But I say to you, to not against-stand evil; but if any shall smite thee on the right cheek, give to him also the tother;

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes(A)

He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(B)
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.(C)
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.(D)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.(E)
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.(F)
Blessed are the pure in heart,(G)
    for they will see God.(H)
Blessed are the peacemakers,(I)
    for they will be called children of God.(J)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,(K)
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(L)

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you,(M) persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.(N) 12 Rejoice and be glad,(O) because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.(P)

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.(Q)

14 “You are the light of the world.(R) 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.(S) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others,(T) that they may see your good deeds(U) and glorify(V) 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.(W) 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.(X) 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands(Y) 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.(Z)

Murder(AA)

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a](AB) and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry(AC) with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment.(AD) Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court.(AE) And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.(AF)

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.’[e](AG) 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(AH) 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble,(AI) 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,(AJ) 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.’[f](AK) 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.(AL)

Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath,(AM) but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’(AN) 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all:(AO) either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;(AP) 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.(AQ) 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’;(AR) anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[g](AS)

Eye for Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h](AT) 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.(AU) 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.(AV)

Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i](AW) and hate your enemy.’(AX) 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,(AY) 45 that you may be children(AZ) 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.(BA) 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?(BB) 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.(BC)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:21 Exodus 20:13
  2. Matthew 5:22 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verse 23.
  3. Matthew 5:22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause
  4. Matthew 5:22 An Aramaic term of contempt
  5. Matthew 5:27 Exodus 20:14
  6. Matthew 5:31 Deut. 24:1
  7. Matthew 5:37 Or from evil
  8. Matthew 5:38 Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21
  9. Matthew 5:43 Lev. 19:18