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 judged.
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}.
For with the same judgment ye judge others, shall ye be judged: and with the measure ye mete, shall it be measured to you again.
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 spiest thou out the mote which is in thy brother’s eye, yet payest no attention to the beam which is in thine own 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 how wilt thou say to thy brother, Suffer me to take the mote off from thine eye: and behold there is a beam in thine own 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.”
Thou hypocrite, take first the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to take off the mote from thy brother’s 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].”
Give not that which is holy to dogs, nor cast pearls before swine; lest they tread them under foot, and turning round tear 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].
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto 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 every one that asketh receiveth; 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]
What man is there of you, of whom if his son ask a loaf, will he give 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 ask a fish, will he give 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, evil as ye are, know how to bestow good gifts on your children; how much more will your Father who is in heaven, bestow good things on those who ask 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].”
All things therefore whatsoever ye would be willing that men should do to you, just so do ye to them: for this is the law 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 through the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and spacious the road, which leadeth to perdition, and they are many who enter that way:
because strait is the gate, and narrow the road, which leadeth to life, and they are but a few who find 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].
Take heed then of false prophets, who come to you in the garb of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
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]
By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather a bunch of grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
17 [Here is another example]: All good fruit trees produce good fruit, but all unhealthy trees produce worthless fruit.
So every good tree beareth good fruits; but every bad tree in kind, produceth bad fruits.
18 No good fruit tree is able to produce worthless fruit, and no unhealthy tree is able to produce good fruit.
A good tree cannot produce bad fruits, neither can a tree bad in kind produce good fruits.
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)
Every tree that beareth not good fruit, is cut down, 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].”
Well then! by their fruits ye shall know 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 every one who saith to me, Lord, Lord! shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
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 unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have we not cast out devils? and in thy name done many miracles?
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 profess unto them, that I never knew you: depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.
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.
Every man therefore who is hearing from me these words, and puts them in practice, I will compare him to the intelligent man, who erected his house upon 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 rain descended, and the rivers rushed, and the winds blew, and they beat against that house, and it fell not; for it was founded on a rock.
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.
And every man who is hearing these sayings of mine, and doth not practise them, he will resemble the foolish man, who built his house upon 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 rain descended, and the rivers rushed, and the winds blew, and set against that house, and it fell; and the fall of it 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 was so, that when Jesus had concluded all these sayings, the multitudes were exceedingly struck with his teaching:
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 having authority, and not as the scribes.
