Matthew 7
1 Judge not, that ye may not be judged;
‘Do not judge and you will not be judged.
2 for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.
For, just as you judge others, you will yourselves be judged, and the standard that you use will be used for you.
3 But why lookest thou on the mote that is in the eye of thy brother, but observest not the beam that is in thine eye?
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your friend’s eye, while you pay no attention at all to the plank of wood in yours?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Allow [me], I will cast out the mote from thine eye; and behold, the beam is in thine eye?
How will you say to your friend “Let me take out the speck from your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own?
5 Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine eye, and then thou wilt see clearly to cast out the mote out of the eye of thy brother.
Hypocrite! Take out the plank from your own eye first, and then you will see clearly how to take out the speck from your friend’s.
6 Give not that which is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them with their feet, and turning round rend you.
‘Do not give what is sacred to dogs; they will turn and maul you. Do not throw your pearls before pigs; they will trample them underfoot.
7 Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you.
Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
For the person who asks receives, the person who searches finds, and to the door will be opened to the person who knocks.
9 Or what man is there of you who, if his son shall ask of him a loaf of bread, will give him a stone;
Who among you, when their child asks them for bread, will give them a stone,
10 and if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent?
or when they ask for a fish, will give them a snake?
11 If therefore ye, being wicked, know [how] to give good gifts to your children, how much rather shall your Father who is in the heavens give good things to them that ask of him?
If you, then, wicked though you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him!
12 Therefore all things whatever ye desire that men should do to you, thus do ye also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
‘Do to others whatever you would wish them to do to you; for that is the teaching of both the Law and the prophets.
13 Enter in through the narrow gate, for wide the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction, and many are they who enter in through it.
Go in by the small gate. The road that leads to destruction is broad and spacious, and many go in by it.
14 For narrow the gate and straitened the way that leads to life, and they are few who find it.
For the gate is small, and the road narrow, that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 But beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but within are ravening wolves.
‘Beware of false teachers – people who come to you in the guise of sheep, but at heart they are ravenous wolves.
16 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do [men] gather a bunch of grapes from thorns, or from thistles figs?
By the fruit of their lives you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
17 So every good tree produces good fruits, but the worthless tree produces bad fruits.
So, too, every sound tree bears good fruit, while a worthless tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruits, nor a worthless tree produce good fruits.
A sound tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a worthless tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.
Every tree that fails to bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 By their fruits then surely ye shall know them.
So it is by the fruit of their lives that you will know such people.
21 Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that does the will of my Father who is in the heavens.
Not everyone who says to me “Master! Master!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied through thy name, and through thy name cast out demons, and through thy name done many works of power?
On that day many will say to me “Master, Master, was not it in your name that we taught, and in your name that we drove out demons, and in your name that we did many miracles?”
23 and then will I avow unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, workers of lawlessness.
And then I will say to them plainly “I never knew you. Go from my presence, you who live in sin.”
24 Whoever therefore hears these my words and does them, I will liken him to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock;
‘Everyone, therefore, who listens to this teaching of mine and acts on it may be compared to a prudent person, who built their house on the rock.
25 and the rain came down, and the streams came, and the winds blew and fell upon that house, and it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, for its foundations were on the rock.
26 And every one who hears these my words and does not do them, he shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand;
Everyone who listens to this teaching of mine and does not act on it may be compared to a foolish person, who built their house on the sand.
27 and the rain came down, and the streams came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and its fall was great.
The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and struck against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his doctrine,
By the time that Jesus had finished speaking, the crowd was filled with amazement at his teaching.
29 for he taught them as having authority, and not as their scribes.
For he taught them like one who had authority, and not like their teachers of the Law.
