Matthew 7
1 “Do not talk about how sinfully others have acted, in order that God will not say how sinfully you have acted.
Judge not, that ye be not iudged.
2 If you condemn [other people], [God] will condemn you. To the same extent that you condemn others, you will be condemned {[God] will condemn you}.
Eor with what iudgement ye iudge, ye shall be iudged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you againe.
3 (None of you should be concerned [about someone else’s small faults] [MET]!/Why should any of you be concerned [about someone else’s small faults]?) [MET, RHQ] [That would be like noticing] a speck in that person’s eye. But you should [be concerned about your own big faults. They are like] [MET] planks in your own eye, which you do not notice.
And why seest thou the mote, that is in thy brothers eye, and perceiuest not the beame that is in thine owne eye?
4 (You should not say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes!’/Why do you say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes?’) [RHQ] [You should not say that] if a plank is still in your own eye [MET].
Or howe sayest thou to thy brother, Suffer me to cast out the mote out of thine eye, and beholde, a beame is in thine owne eye?
5 You hypocrite, [stop committing your own sins! That will be like] removing the plank from your own eye [MET]. Then, as a result, you will be able to perceive things spiritually so that you can help other people get rid of the [faults] [MET] [that are like] specks in their eyes.”
Hypocrite, first cast out that beame out of thine owne eye, and then shalt thou see clearely to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye.
6 “You do not give holy things to dogs [that would ignore those things] and attack you [CHI]. You do not throw pearls in front of hogs, [because they would just ignore them] and trample them. [Similarly], do not give [precious spiritual truth to people you know will not value it but instead will do evil things to you].”
Giue ye not that which is holy, to dogges, neither cast ye your pearles before swine, lest they treade them vnder their feete, and turning againe, all to rent you.
7 “Keep asking [God for what you need]. If you do that, [he] will give it to you. Confidently keep [expecting God to give you the things that you need, and he will give them to you. It will be like] [MET] looking for what you need and finding it. Keep on [praying persistently to God. Then God will answer you. It will be like] [MET] knocking [on a door in order to enter a room]. And the way will be opened {[God] will open the way} for you [to get what you pray for].
Aske, and it shall be giuen you: seeke, and ye shall finde: knocke, and it shall be opened vnto you.
8 Remember that [God] will give things to everyone who continues to ask [him for them]. [He] will give things to whoever confidently keeps asking. [He] will open [the way] for people [to get the things that they keep persistently praying for].
For whosoeuer asketh, receiueth: and he, that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
9 (No man among you would give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread./Would anyone among you give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread?) [RHQ]
For what man is there among you, which if his sonne aske him bread, woulde giue him a stone?
10 Likewise, (no man would give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish./would anyone give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish?) [RHQ]
Or if he aske fish, wil he giue him a serpent?
11 You, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children. So [God], your Father who is in heaven, will certainly give good things to the people who ask him.”
If ye then, which are euill, can giue to your children good giftes, howe much more shall your Father which is in heauen, giue good thinges to them that aske him?
12 “So in whatever way you want others to act toward you [(pl)], that is the way you [(pl)] should act toward them, because that [sums up what Moses wrote in] the laws [that God gave him] and [also what] the prophets [wrote long ago].”
Therefore whatsoeuer ye woulde that men should doe to you, euen so doe ye to them: for this is the Lawe and the Prophets.
13 “[Going to] where people live eternally [with God in heaven] is difficult. [It is like] going along a narrow road [PRS, MET] that leads to a narrow gate. Not many people find that way. [The way] that most [people take] is easy, [but it results in their being punished] {[God punishing them]} [in hell. That way is like a] wide road that people walk on [PRS, MET] until they reach the wide gate, but that road and that gate lead to where [they] will be destroyed {[God] will destroy them}. Many people enter that gate. So I [am telling you to leave the wide road and] enter the narrow gate [to heaven].” (questioned)
Enter in at the streight gate: for it is the wide gate, and broade way that leadeth to destruction: and many there be which goe in thereat,
Because the gate is streight, and the way narowe that leadeth vnto life, and fewe there be that finde it.
15 “Beware of people who come to you and say falsely that they are telling you [what God has said]. [They seem to be harmless, but they are extremely harmful. They are like] wolves that have covered themselves with sheepskins [to make people believe that they are sheep] [MET], but they actually are wolves that attack people [MET].
Beware of false prophets, which come to you, in sheepes clothing, but inwardly they are rauening wolues.
16 [So how will you know that they are false?] Well, by seeing what plants produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are [MET]. [For example, thornbushes cannot produce grapes], so (no one can pick grapes from thornbushes./can anyone pick grapes from thornbushes?) [RHQ] And [thistles cannot produce figs], so (no one can pick figs from thistles./can anyone pick figs from thistles?) [RHQ]
Ye shall know them by their fruites. Doe men gather grapes of thornes? or figges of thistles?
17 [Here is another example]: All good fruit trees produce good fruit, but all unhealthy trees produce worthless fruit.
So euery good tree bringeth foorth good fruite, and a corrupt tree bringeth forth euill fruite.
18 No good fruit tree is able to produce worthless fruit, and no unhealthy tree is able to produce good fruit.
A good tree can not bring forth euil fruite: neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruite.
19 [And] all the trees that do not produce good fruit are chopped down and burned in a fire {people chop them down and burn them in a fire} [to get rid of them]. [Similarly], those who falsely claim to be prophets [will be thrown] {[God will throw false prophets]} [into the fires of hell]. (questioned)
Euery tree that bringeth not forth good fruite, is hewen downe, and cast into the fire.
20 By seeing [what plants] produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are. [Similarly, when you see what the people who come to you do], [you will know if they are false prophets].”
Therefore by their fruites ye shall knowe them.
21 “[Even though many] people [habitually] call me ‘Lord’, [pretending that they have my authority], some of them will not go to heaven where God rules, [because they do not do what he desires]. [Only] those people who do what my Father, who is in heaven, desires [will go there].
Not euery one that sayeth vnto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdome of heauen, but he that doeth my Fathers will which is in heauen.
22 On the day [MTY] [that God judges everyone], many [people, trying to tell me that they deserve to go to heaven], will say to me, ‘Lord, we(exc) spoke God’s message as your representatives [MTY, RHQ]! As your representatives we(exc) expelled demons from [people] [RHQ]! And as your representatives, many times we(exc) performed miracles [RHQ]!’
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, haue we not by thy Name prophecied? and by thy name cast out deuils? and by thy name done many great workes?
23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I have never said that you belonged to me. Go away from me, you who do what is evil!’”
And then will I professe to them, I neuer knewe you: depart from me, ye that worke iniquitie.
24 “So then, anyone who hears what I say and does what I command, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
Whosoeuer then heareth of mee these words, and doeth the same, I will liken him to a wise man, which hath builded his house on a rock:
25 [Even though] the rain came down and the river flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it did not fall down because it had been built {he built it} on a solid foundation.
And the raine fell, and the floods came, and the windes blewe, and beat vpon that house, and it fell not: for it was grounded on a rocke.
26 On the other hand, anyone who hears what I say but does not obey what I say will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
But whosoeuer heareth these my wordes, and doeth them not, shall be likened vnto a foolish man, which hath builded his house vpon the sand:
27 When the rain fell and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it crashed down and broke completely apart, [because it was built on the sand. So it is important for you to obey what I teach you].”
And the raine fell, and the floods came, and the windes blewe, and beat vpon that house, and it fell, and the fall thereof was great.
28 When Jesus finished saying all those things, the [who had been listening to him were] amazed at the [new] teaching that he had taught them.
And it came to passe, when Iesus had ended these wordes, the people were astonied at his doctrine.
29 The reason they were amazed was that he was teaching as a person does who has authority. He was not teaching like the men who taught the [Jewish] laws, [who just repeated what other people had taught them].
For he taught them as one hauing authoritie, and not as the Scribes.
