SEEING the multitudes, Jesus went up into a mountain: and
when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened
his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for
my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward
in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you.
Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his
savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good
for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot
of men.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under
a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the
same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say
unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger
of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry
with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:
and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger
of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be
in danger of hell fire.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there
rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the
way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to
the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou
be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart.
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast
it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be
cast into hell.
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it
from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into
hell.
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let
him give her a writing of divorcement: but I say unto you, That
whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her
that is divorced cornmitteth adultery.
*
Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto
the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all;
neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth;
for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the
city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head,
because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let
your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is
more than these cometh of evil.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist
not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at
the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow
of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you,
†Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?
do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren
only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans
so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in
heaven is perfect.
TAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen
of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is
in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound
a trumpet before
thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left
hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be
in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall
reward thee openly.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hyprocites
are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in
the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily
I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen
do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for
ever. Amen.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear
unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;
that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which
is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward
thee openly.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye
be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine
eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore
the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the
one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your
body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat,
and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for
they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than
they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubic unto his
stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they
spin; and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe
the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast
into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little
faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for
after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore
no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought
for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof.
JUDGE not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment
ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's
eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote
out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and
then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy
brother's eye.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye
your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their
feet, and turn again and rend you.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh
it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will
he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him
a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is
in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
*Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so
to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there
be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by
their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt
tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house
upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell not: for
it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell:
and great was the fall of it.
When Jesus had ended these sayings,
† the people were astonished at his doctrine:
for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.