Matthew 5
5
Jesus Teaches the Disciples and Crowds
1Jesus saw the crowds. So he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him. 2Then he began to teach them.
Jesus Gives Blessings
He said,
3“Blessed are those who are spiritually needy.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
4Blessed are those who are sad.
They will be comforted.
5Blessed are those who are humble.
They will be given the earth.
6Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for what is right.
They will be filled.
7Blessed are those who show mercy.
They will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are those whose hearts are pure.
They will see God.
9Blessed are those who make peace.
They will be called children of God.
10Blessed are those who suffer for doing what is right.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
11“Blessed are you when people make fun of you and hurt you because of me. You are also blessed when they tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12Be joyful and glad. Your reward in heaven is great. In the same way, people hurt the prophets who lived long ago.
Salt and Light
13“You are the salt of the earth. But suppose the salt loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything. It will be thrown out. People will walk all over it.
14“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can’t be hidden. 15Also, people do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand. Then it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine so others can see it. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will bring glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus Fulfills the Law
17“Do not think I have come to get rid of what is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do this. Instead, I have come to fulfill what is written. 18What I’m about to tell you is true. Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter disappears from the Law. Not even the smallest mark of a pen will disappear from the Law until everything is completed. 19Do not ignore even one of the least important commands. And do not teach others to ignore them. If you do, you will be called the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. Instead, practice and teach these commands. Then you will be called important in the kingdom of heaven. 20Here is what I tell you. You must be more godly than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. If you are not, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder
21“You have heard what was said to people who lived long ago. They were told, ‘Do not commit murder. (Exodus 20:13) Anyone who murders will be judged for it.’ 22But here is what I tell you. Do not be angry with a brother or sister. Anyone who is angry with them will be judged. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ must stand trial in court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire in hell.
23“Suppose you are offering your gift at the altar. And you remember that your brother or sister has something against you. 24Leave your gift in front of the altar. First go and make peace with them. Then come back and offer your gift.
25“Suppose someone has a claim against you and is taking you to court. Settle the matter quickly. Do this while you are still together on the way. If you don’t, you may be handed over to the judge. The judge may hand you over to the officer to be thrown into prison. 26What I’m about to tell you is true. You will not get out until you have paid the very last penny!
Adultery
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ (Exodus 20:14) 28But here is what I tell you. Do not even look at a woman in the wrong way. Anyone who does has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. Your eye is only one part of your body. It is better to lose an eye than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Your hand is only one part of your body. It is better to lose a hand than for your whole body to go into hell.
Divorce
31“It has been said, ‘Suppose a man divorces his wife. If he does, he must give her a letter of divorce.’ (Deuteronomy 24:1) 32But here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife makes her a victim of adultery. And anyone who gets married to the divorced woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him.
Promises
33“Again, you have heard what was said to your people long ago. They were told, ‘Do not break the promises you make to the Lord. Keep your promises to the Lord that you have made.’ 34But here is what I tell you. Do not make any promises like that at all. Do not make them in the name of heaven. That is God’s throne. 35Do not make them in the name of the earth. That is the stool for God’s feet. Do not make them in the name of Jerusalem. That is the city of the Great King. 36And do not make a promise in your own name. You can’t make even one hair of your head white or black. 37All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Be Kind to Others
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be knocked out for a tooth.’ (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21) 39But here is what I tell you. Do not fight against an evil person. Suppose someone slaps you on your right cheek. Turn your other cheek to them also. 40Suppose someone takes you to court to get your shirt. Let them have your coat also. 41Suppose someone forces you to go one mile. Go two miles with them. 42Give to the one who asks you for something. Don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow something from you.
Love Your Enemies
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor. (Leviticus 19:18) Hate your enemy.’ 44But here is what I tell you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. 45Then you will be children of your Father who is in heaven. He causes his sun to shine on evil people and good people. He sends rain on those who do right and those who don’t. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Even the tax collectors do that. 47If you greet only your own people, what more are you doing than others? Even people who are ungodly do that. 48So be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
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Matthew 5: NIrV
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Matthew 5
5
1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. 2He taught them, saying:
Happy people
3 “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 “Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
5 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
6 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
7 “Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.
8 “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
9 “Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.
10 “Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 “Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. 12Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.
Salt and light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. 14You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus and the Law
17 “Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them. 18I say to you very seriously that as long as heaven and earth exist, neither the smallest letter nor even the smallest stroke of a pen will be erased from the Law until everything there becomes a reality. 19Therefore, whoever ignores one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called the lowest in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps these commands and teaches people to keep them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20I say to you that unless your righteousness is greater than the righteousness of the legal experts and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Law of murder
21 “You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder, # 5.21 Exod 20:13 and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment. 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell. 23Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift at the altar and go. First make things right with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift. 25Be sure to make friends quickly with your opponents while you are with them on the way to court. Otherwise, they will haul you before the judge, the judge will turn you over to the officer of the court, and you will be thrown into prison. 26I say to you in all seriousness that you won’t get out of there until you’ve paid the very last penny.
Law of adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, Don’t commit adultery. 28But I say to you that every man who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart. 29And if your right eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It’s better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to fall into sin, chop it off and throw it away. It’s better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body go into hell.
Law of divorce
31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a divorce certificate.’ # 5.31 Deut 24:1 32But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife except for sexual unfaithfulness forces her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Law of solemn pledges
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago: Don’t make a false solemn pledge, but you should follow through on what you have pledged to the Lord. # 5.33 Lev 19:12; Num 30:2; Deut 23:21 34But I say to you that you must not pledge at all. You must not pledge by heaven, because it’s God’s throne. 35You must not pledge by the earth, because it’s God’s footstool. You must not pledge by Jerusalem, because it’s the city of the great king. 36And you must not pledge by your head, because you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Law of retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. # 5.38 Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21 39But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you. If people slap you on your right cheek, you must turn the left cheek to them as well. 40When they wish to haul you to court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. 41When they force you to go one mile, go with them two. 42Give to those who ask, and don’t refuse those who wish to borrow from you.
Law of love
43 “You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor # 5.43 Lev 19:18 and hate your enemy. 44But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.
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