[1] [Arabic, p.38] [753] No man can serve two masters; and that because it is necessary that he hate one of them and love the other, and honour one of them and despise the [2] other. [754] Ye cannot serve God and possessions. And because of this I say unto you, Be not anxious for yourselves, [755] what ye shall eat and what ye shall drink; neither for your bodies, what ye shall put on. Is not the life better than the food, and the body [3] than the raiment? [756] Consider the birds of the heaven, which sow not, nor reap, nor store in barns; and yet your Father which is in heaven feedeth them. Are not ye [4] better than they? [757] Who of you when he trieth is able to add to his stature one [5] cubit? [758] If then ye are not able for a small thing, why are ye anxious about the [6, 7] rest? [759] Consider the wild lily, how it grows, although it toils not, nor spins; [760] and I say unto you that Solomon in the greatness of his glory was not clothed like one of [8] them. [761] And if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow [9] is cast [762] into the oven, how much more shall be unto you, O ye of little faith! [763] Be not anxious, so as to say, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With [10] what shall we be clothed? [764] Neither let your minds be perplexed in this: [765] all these things the nations of the world seek; and your Father which is in heaven knoweth [11] your need of all these things. [766] Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; [12] [Arabic, p.39] and all these shall come to you as something additional for you. [767] Be not anxious for the morrow; for the morrow shall be anxious for what belongs to it. Sufficient unto the day is its evil.

[13] [768] Judge not, that ye be not judged: [769] condemn [770] not, that ye be not condemned: [14] [771] forgive, and it shall be forgiven you: release, and ye shall be released: give, that ye may be given unto; with good measure, abundant, full, they shall thrust [772] into your [15] bosoms. [773] With what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you. See to it what ye hear: with what measure ye measure it shall be measured to you; and ye [16] shall be given more. [774] I say unto those that hear, He that hath shall be given unto; and he that hath not, that which he regards [775] as his shall be taken from him.

[17] [776] And he spake unto them a parable, Can a blind man haply guide a blind man? [18] shall [777] they not both fall into a hollow? [778] A disciple is not better than his master; [19] every perfect man shall be as his master. [779] Why lookest thou at the mote which is in the eye of thy brother, but considerest not the column that is in thine own eye? [20] [780] Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, I will take out the mote from thine eye; and the column which is in thine eye thou seest not? Thou hypocrite, take out first the column from thine eye; and then shalt thou see to take out the mote from the eye of thy brother.

[21] [781] Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them with their feet, and return and wound you.

[22] [782] And he said unto them, Who of you, that hath a friend, goeth to him at midnight, [23] and saith unto him, My friend, lend me three loaves; [783] for a friend hath come [24] to me from a journey, and I have nothing to offer to him: [784] and that friend shall [Arabic, p.40] answer him from within, and say unto him, Trouble me not; for the door is shut, and my children are with me in bed, and I cannot rise and give thee? [25] [785] And verily I say unto you, If he will not give him because of friendship, yet because [26] of his importunity he will rise and give him what he seeketh. [786] And I also say unto you, Ask, and ye shall be given unto; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be [27] opened unto you. [787] Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and [28] he that knocketh, it shall be opened to him. [788] What father of you, shall his son ask for bread -- will he, think you, give him a stone? [789] and if he ask of him a fish, will he, [29] think you, [790] instead of the fish give him a serpent? and if he ask him for an egg, will [30] he, think you, extend to him a scorpion? [791] If ye then, although being evil, know the gifts which are good, and give them to your children, how much more shall your [31] Father which is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? [792] Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: this is the law and the prophets.

[32] [793] Enter [794] ye by the narrow gate; for the wide gate and the broad way lead to destruction, [33] and many they be which go therein. [795] How narrow is the gate and straitened the way leading to life! and few be they that find it.

[34] [796] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's [797] clothing, while within [35] they are ravening wolves. [798] But by their fruits ye shall know them. [799] For every tree is known by its fruit. For figs are not gathered [800] of thorns, neither are grapes plucked of [36] briers. [801] Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but the evil tree bringeth [37] [Arabic, p.41] forth evil fruit. [802] The good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can the [38] evil tree bring forth good fruit. [803] The good man from the good treasures that are in his heart bringeth forth good things; and the evil man from the evil treasures that are in his heart bringeth forth evil things: and from the overflowings of the [39] heart the lips speak. [804] Every tree that beareth not good fruit is cut down and cast [40, 41] into the fire. [805] Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. [806] Not all that say unto me, My Lord, my Lord, shall enter the kingdom of the heavens; but he that doeth [42] the will of my Father which is in heaven. [807] Many shall say unto me in that day, My Lord, my Lord, did we not prophesy in thy name, and in thy name cast out [43] devils, and in thy name do many powers? [808] Then shall I say unto them, I never [44] knew you: depart from me, ye servants of iniquity. [809] Every man that cometh unto [45] me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to what he is like: [810] he is like the wise man which built a house, and digged and went deep, and laid the [46] foundations on a rock: [811] and the rain came down, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew, and shook that house, and it fell not: for its foundation was laid on [47] rocks. [812] And every one that heareth these my words, and doeth them not, is like [48] the foolish man which built his house on sand, without foundation: [813] and the rain descended, and the rivers overflowed, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house, and it fell: and the fall of it was great.

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Footnotes:

[753] Matthew 6:24.

[754] Matthew 6:25.

[755] Or, your souls; or, your lives.

[756] Matthew 6:26.

[757] Matthew 6:27.

[758] Luke 12:26.

[759] Matthew 6:28.

[760] Matthew 6:29.

[761] Matthew 6:30.

[762] Lit. falleth (cf. Syriac).

[763] Matthew 6:31.

[764] Luke 12:29b.

[765] Matthew 6:32.

[766] Matthew 6:33.

[767] Matthew 6:34.

[768] Matthew 7:1.

[769] Luke 6:37b.

[770] The word means to contend successfully, but is used throughout by our translator in the sense of condemn.

[771] Luke 6:38.

[772] This is the reading adopted by Ciasca in his Latin version. The diacritical points in the Arabic text, as he has printed it (perhaps a misprint), give second person plural passive instead of third plural active.

[773] Mark 4:24b.

[774] Mark 4:25.

[775] cf. Luke 8:18b. Our translator uses the same word in 50, 5=Luke xxiii. 8b; and in both cases it represents the same word in the Syriac versions.

[776] Luke 6:39.

[777] Or, Do.

[778] Luke 6:40.

[779] Luke 6:41.

[780] Luke 6:42.

[781] Matthew 7:6.

[782] Luke 11:5.

[783] Luke 11:6.

[784] Luke 11:7.

[785] Luke 11:8.

[786] Luke 11:9.

[787] Luke 11:10.

[788] Luke 11:11.

[789] The Arabic might also be rendered, What father of you whom his son asketh for bread, will (think you) give him a stone? But as the Peshitta preserves the confused construction of the Greek, it is probably better to render as above.

[790] Luke 11:12.

[791] Luke 11:13.

[792] Matthew 7:12.

[793] Matthew 7:13.

[794] There is nothing about striving. The verb is walaga, which means enter (cf. 11, 48).

[795] Matthew 7:14.

[796] Matthew 7:15.

[797] Or, lambs'.

[798] Matthew 7:16a.

[799] Luke 6:44.

[800] The verbs might be singular active, but not plural as in Syriac versions (cf., however, 38, 43, note, end). In the Borg. ms. the nouns are in the accusative.

[801] Matthew 7:17.

[802] Matthew 7:18.

[803] Luke 6:45.

[804] Matthew 7:19.

[805] Matthew 7:20.

[806] Matthew 7:21.

[807] Matthew 7:22.

[808] Matthew 7:23.

[809] Luke 6:47.

[810] Luke 6:48.

[811] Matthew 7:25.

[812] Matthew 7:26.

[813] Matthew 7:27.