Matthew 5
5
1 Then, seeing the crowds, he ascended the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples drew near to him,
2 and opening his mouth, he taught them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.
5 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be consoled.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who endure persecution for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they have slandered you, and persecuted you, and spoken all kinds of evil against you, falsely, for my sake:
12 be glad and exult, for your reward in heaven is plentiful. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, with what will it be salted? It is no longer useful at all, except to be cast out and trampled under by men.
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
15 And they do not light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that it may shine to all who are in the house.
16 So then, let your light shine in the sight of men, so that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father, who is in heaven.
17 Do not think that I have come to loosen the law or the prophets. I have not come to loosen, but to fulfill.
18 Amen I say to you, certainly, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not one dot shall pass away from the law, until all is done.
19 Therefore, whoever will have loosened one of the least of these commandments, and have taught men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever will have done and taught these, such a one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say to you, that unless your justice has surpassed that of the scribes and the Pharisees you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients: 'You shall not murder; whoever will have murdered shall be liable to judgment.'
22 But I say to you, that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. But whoever will have called his brother, 'Idiot,' shall be liable to the council. Then, whoever will have called him, 'Worthless,' shall be liable to the fires of Hell.
23 Therefore, if you offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there, before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to your brother, and then you may approach and offer your gift.
25 Be reconciled with your adversary quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest perhaps the adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown in prison.
26 Amen I say to you, that you shall not go forth from there, until you have repaid the last quarter.
27 You have heard that it was said to the ancients: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
28 But I say to you, that anyone who will have looked at a woman, so as to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 And if your right eye causes you to sin, root it out and cast it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body be cast into Hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body go into Hell.
31 And it has been said: 'Whoever would dismiss his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.'
32 But I say to you, that anyone who will have dismissed his wife, except in the case of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever will have married her who has been dismissed commits adultery.
33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients: 'You shall not swear falsely. For you shall repay your oaths to the Lord.'
34 But I say to you, do not swear an oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
35 nor by earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.
36 Neither shall you swear an oath by your own head, because you are not able to cause one hair to become white or black.
37 But let your word 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and 'No' mean 'No.' For anything beyond that is of evil.
38 You have heard that it was said: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'
39 But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil, but if anyone will have struck you on your right cheek, offer to him the other also.
40 And anyone who wishes to contend with you in judgment, and to take away your tunic, release to him your cloak also.
41 And whoever will have compelled you for one thousand steps, go with him even for two thousand steps.
42 Whoever asks of you, give to him. And if anyone would borrow from you, do not turn away from him.
43 You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and you shall have hatred for your enemy.'
44 But I say to you: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you.
45 In this way, you shall be sons of your Father, who is in heaven. He causes his sun to rise upon the good and the bad, and he causes it to rain upon the just and the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not even tax collectors behave this way?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more have you done? Do not even the pagans behave this way?
48 Therefore, be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
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Matthew 5: CPDV
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Matthew 5
5
The Sermon on the Mount
1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down.#5.1 sat down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat down when they taught.
Blessings
(Luke 6.20-23)
Jesus' disciples gathered around him, 2and he taught them:
3God blesses those people
who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven!#5.3 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or “The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
4 #
Is 61.2. God blesses those people
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
5 #
Ps 37.11. God blesses those people
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
6 #
Is 55.1,2; Si 24.21. God blesses those people
who want to obey him#5.6 who want to obey him: Or “who want to do right” or “who want everyone to be treated right.”
more than to eat or drink.
They will be given
what they want!
7God blesses those people
who are merciful.
They will be treated
with mercy!
8 #
Ps 24.3,4; 2 Esd 7.98. God blesses those people
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
9God blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
10 #
1 P 3.14. God blesses those people
who are treated badly
for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven.#5.10 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3.
11 #
1 P 4.14. God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12#2 Ch 36.16; Si 2.8; Ac 7.52. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.
Salt and Light
(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)
13 #
Mk 9.50; Lk 14.34,35. You are the salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.
14 #
Jn 8.12; 9.5. You are the light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, 15#Mk 4.21; Lk 8.16; 11.33. and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a clay pot. Instead, it is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. 16#1 P 2.12. Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven.
The Law of Moses
17Don't suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.#5.17 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18#Lk 16.17. Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.
19If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
21 #
Ex 20.13; Dt 5.17. You know our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.” 22But I promise you if you are angry with someone,#5.22 someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has “brother,” which may refer to people in general or to other followers. you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.
23So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.
25Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. 26I promise you will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe.
Marriage
27 #
Ex 20.14; Dt 5.18. You know the commandment which says, “Be faithful in marriage.” 28But I tell you if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts. 29#Mt 18.9; Mk 9.47. If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell. 30#Mt 18.8; Mk 9.43,44. If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Divorce
(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)
31 #
Dt 24.1-4; Mt 19.7; Mk 10.4. You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her.#5.31 write out divorce papers for her: Jewish men could divorce their wives, but the women could not divorce their husbands. The purpose of writing these papers was to make it harder for a man to divorce his wife. Before this law was made, all a man had to do was to send his wife away and say that she was no longer his wife. 32#Mt 19.9; Mk 10.11,12; Lk 16.18; 1 Co 7.10,11. But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin.#5.32 some terrible sexual sin: This probably refers to the laws about the wrong kinds of marriages that are forbidden in Leviticus 18.6-18 or to some serious sexual sin. If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife.
Promises
33 #
Lv 19.12;
Nu 30.2; Dt 23.21. You know our ancestors were told, “Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it.” 34#Jas 5.12; Is 66.1; Mt 23.22. But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven. 35#Is 66.1; Ps 48.2. The earth is God's footstool, so don't swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don't swear by it. 36Don't swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. 37When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No.” Anything else comes from the devil.
Revenge
(Luke 6.29,30)
38 #
Ex 21.24; Lv 24.20; Dt 19.19-21. You know you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 39But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek,#5.39 right cheek: A slap on the right cheek was a bad insult. turn and let that person slap your other cheek. 40If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. 41If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one kilometer, carry it two kilometers.#5.41 two kilometers: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as one kilometer. 42When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.
Love
(Luke 6.27,28,32-36)
43 #
Si 12.4-7. You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” 44But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45#Si 4.10. Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for this? Even tax collectors#5.46 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion. love their friends. 47If you greet only your friends, what's so great about this? Don't even unbelievers do that? 48#Lv 19.2. But you must always act like your Father in heaven.
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