| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: | 1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, |
| 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, | 2and he began to teach them. He said: |
| 3Blessed 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. |
| 4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. | 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. |
| 5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. | 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. |
| 6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. | 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. |
| 7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. | 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. |
| 8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. | 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. |
| 9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. | 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. |
| 10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. |
| 11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. | 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. |
| 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. | 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. |
| 13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. | 13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. |
| 14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. | 14"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. |
| 15Neither 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. | 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. |
| 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. | 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. |
| 17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. | 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. |
| 18For 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. | 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. |
| 19Whosoever 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. | 19Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. |
| 20For 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. | 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. |
| 21Ye 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: | 21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' |
| 22But 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. | 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. |
| 23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; | 23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, |
| 24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. | 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. |
| 25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles 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. | 25"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. |
| 26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. | 26Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. |
| 27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: | 27"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' |
| 28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. | 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. |
| 29And 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. | 29If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. |
| 30And 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. | 30And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. |
| 31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: | 31"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' |
| 32But 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 committeth adultery. | 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. |
| 33Again, 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: | 33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.' |
| 34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: | 34But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; |
| 35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. | 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. |
| 36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. | 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. |
| 37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. | 37All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. |
| 38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: | 38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' |
| 39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. | 39But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. |
| 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. | 40And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. |
| 41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. | 41If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. |
| 42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. | 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. |
| 43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. | 43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' |
| 44But 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; | 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, |
| 45That 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. | 45that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. |
| 46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? | 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? |
| 47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? | 47And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? |
| 48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. | 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. |
|
