The Sermon on the Mount

¹Seeing the crowds, ohe went up on the mountain, and when he psat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

²And qhe opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³r“Blessed are sthe poor in spirit, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴“Blessed are vthose who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵“Blessed are the wmeek, for they wshall inherit the earth.

⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and xthirst yfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷“Blessed are zthe merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸“Blessed are athe pure in heart, for bthey shall see God.

⁹“Blessed are cthe peacemakers, for dthey shall be called esons1 of God.

¹⁰f“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹g“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely hon my account. ¹²iRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for jso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth, kbut if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

¹⁴l“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵mNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so nthat2 they may see your good works and ogive glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

¹⁷p“Do not think that I have come to abolish qthe Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but rto fulfill them. ¹⁸For truly, I say to you, suntil heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹tTherefore whoever relaxes uone of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least vin the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great vin the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds wthat of the scribes and Pharisees, you xwill never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

²¹y“You have heard that it was said to those of old, z‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ato judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that beveryone who is angry with his brother3 will be liable ato judgment; whoever insults4 his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to cthe hell5 of fire. ²³dSo if eyou are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵fCome to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶Truly, I say to you, gyou will never get out until you have paid the last penny.6

Lust

²⁷h“You have heard that it was said, i‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that jeveryone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹kIf your right eye lcauses you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into mhell. ³⁰kAnd if your right hand lcauses you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into mhell.

Divorce

³¹h“It was also said, n‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²oBut I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and pwhoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

³³“Again hyou have heard that it was said to those of old, q‘You shall not swear falsely, but rshall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴But I say to you, sDo not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for tit is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is uthe city of the great King. ³⁶And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; vanything more than this comes from evil.7

Retaliation

³⁸h“You have heard that it was said, y‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I say to you, zDo not resist the one who is evil. But aif anyone bslaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰And zif anyone would sue you and take your tunic,8 let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹And if anyone cforces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴²dGive to the one who begs from you, and edo not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

⁴³f“You have heard that it was said, g‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, iLove your enemies and jpray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵kso that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and lsends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶mFor if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers,9 what more are you doing than others? Do not even nthe Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸oYou therefore must be pperfect, qas your heavenly Father is perfect.