Matthew 5
1 But seeing the crowds, he went up into the mountain, and having sat down, his disciples came to him;
When Jesus saw the crowds following him he went up a mountain. There he sat down together with his disciples.
2 and, having opened his mouth, he taught them, saying,
He began teaching them, saying:
3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually poor, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who are kind for they will own the whole world.
6 Blessed they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are those whose greatest desire is to do what is right, for they will be satisfied.
7 Blessed the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Blessed are those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are those who have pure minds, for they will see God.
9 Blessed the peace-makers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who work to bring peace, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed they who are persecuted on account of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
Blessed are those persecuted for what is right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for my sake.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and accuse you of all kinds of evil things because of me.
12 Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus have they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Be glad, be really glad, for you will receive a great reward in heaven—for they persecuted the prophets who came before you in just the same way.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted? It is no longer fit for anything but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot by men.
You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt becomes tasteless, how can you make it salty again? It's good for nothing, so it's thrown out and trodden down.
14 Ye are the light of the world: a city situated on the top of a mountain cannot be hid.
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill can't be hidden.
15 Nor do [men] light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but upon the lamp-stand, and it shines for all who are in the house.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a bucket. No, it's placed on a lamp-stand and it provides light to everyone in the house.
16 Let your light thus shine before men, so that they may see your upright works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
In the same way you should let your light shine before everyone so they can see the good things you do and praise your heavenly Father.
17 Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil.
Don't think I came to abolish the law or the writings of the prophets. I didn't come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
18 For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass.
I assure you, until heaven and earth come to an end, not a single letter, not a single dot of the law will come to an end before everything is fulfilled.
19 Whosoever then shall do away with one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall practise and teach [them], he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
So whoever disregards the least important commandment, and teaches people to do so, will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches the commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness surpass [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
I tell you, unless your moral rightness is more than that of the religious teachers and the Pharisees, you can never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; but whosoever shall kill shall be subject to the judgment.
You've heard that the law said to the people of long ago: ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who commits murder will be condemned as guilty.’
22 But I say unto you, that every one that is lightly angry with his brother shall be subject to the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be subject to [be called before] the sanhedrim; but whosoever shall say, Fool, shall be subject to the penalty of the hell of fire. (Geenna g1067)
But I tell you, anyone who is angry with his brother will be condemned as guilty. Whoever calls his brother an idiot has to answer to the council, but whoever verbally abuses others is liable to the fire of judgment. (Geenna g1067)
23 If therefore thou shouldest offer thy gift at the altar, and there shouldest remember that thy brother has something against thee,
If you're at the altar making an offering, and remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and first go, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
leave your offering on the altar and go and make peace with him first, and afterwards come back and make your offering.
25 Make friends with thine adverse party quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him; lest some time the adverse party deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
While you're on the way to court with your opponent, make sure you settle things quickly. Otherwise your opponent might hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the court official, and you will be thrown into jail.
26 Verily I say to thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence till thou hast paid the last farthing.
I tell you the truth: you won't get out of there until you've paid every last penny.
27 Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
You've heard that the law said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’
28 But I say unto you, that every one who looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
But I tell you that everyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his mind.
29 But if thy right eye be a snare to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell. (Geenna g1067)
If your right eye leads you to sin, then tear it out and throw it away, because it's better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into the fire of judgment. (Geenna g1067)
30 And if thy right hand be a snare to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell. (Geenna g1067)
If your right hand leads you to sin, then cut it off and throw it away, for it's better for you to lose one of your limbs than for your whole body to go into the fire of judgment. (Geenna g1067)
31 It has been said too, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a letter of divorce.
The law also said, ‘If a man divorces his wife, he should give her a certificate of divorce.’
32 But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for cause of fornication, makes her commit adultery, and whosoever marries one that is put away commits adultery.
But I tell you that any man who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it has been said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt render to the Lord what thou hast sworn.
And again, you've heard that the law said to the people of long ago, ‘You shall not perjure yourself. Instead make sure you keep the oaths you swear to the Lord.’
34 But I say unto you, Do not swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is [the] throne of God;
But I tell you, don't swear at all. Don't swear by heaven, because it's the throne of God.
35 nor by the earth, because it is [the] footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is [the] city of the great King.
Don't swear by the earth, because it's God's footstool. Don't swear by Jerusalem, because it's the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Don't even swear by your head, because you're not able to make a single hair white or black.
37 But let your word be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; but what is more than these is from evil.
Simply say yes or no—more than this comes from the evil one.
38 Ye have heard that it has been said, Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.
You've heard that the law said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I say unto you, not to resist evil; but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;
But I tell you, don't resist someone who is evil. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to them as well.
40 and to him that would go to law with thee and take thy body coat, leave him thy cloak also.
If someone wants to sue you in court and takes your shirt, give them your coat too.
41 And whoever will compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.
If someone demands that you go one mile, go with them two.
42 To him that asks of thee give, and from him that desires to borrow of thee turn not away.
Give to those who ask you, and don't turn away those who want to borrow from you.
43 Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy.
You've heard that the law said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, [bless those who curse you, ] do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who [insult you and] persecute you,
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that ye may be [the] sons of your Father who is in [the] heavens; for he makes his sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust.
so you may become children of your heavenly Father. For his sun shines on both the good and the bad; and he makes the rain fall on both those who do right and those who do wrong.
46 For if ye should love those who love you, what reward have ye? Do not also the tax-gatherers the same?
For if you only love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax-collectors do that?
47 And if ye should salute your brethren only, what do ye extraordinary? Do not also the Gentiles the same?
If you only speak kindly to your family, what more are you doing than anyone else? Even the heathen do that!
48 Be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Grow up and become completely trustworthy, just as your heavenly Father is trustworthy.
