English Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

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

1When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

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

2He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

5"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

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

6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

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

7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

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.

9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

10"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

11"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

12"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth, but 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.

13"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

14"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

16"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

17"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

18"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

19"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

20"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’

21"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER ' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'

22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

22"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

23"Therefore if you are presenting your offering 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.

24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

25Come 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.

25"Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

26"Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

27"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';

28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29If your right eye causes 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 hell.

29"If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30And if your right hand causes 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 hell.

30"If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

31"It was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';

32But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

32but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’

33"Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.'

34But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

34"But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.

36And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

36"Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

37"But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes ' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

38"You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'

39But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

39"But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

40"If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

41"Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

42Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

42"Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

43"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'

44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

44"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45so 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 sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

46"For 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, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

47"If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

48You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

48"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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