King James Bible

New Living Translation

1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

1One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him,

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

2and he began to teach them. The Beatitudes

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

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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

8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

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 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.

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

12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Teaching about Salt and Light

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 what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

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—like a city on a hilltop that 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.

15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where 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.

16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Teaching about the Law

17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

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.

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.

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.

19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them 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.

20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Teaching about Anger

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 our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are 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.

22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone 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.

24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

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 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. Teaching about Adultery

27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must 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.

28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust 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.

29 So if your eye—even your good eye —causes you to lust, 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.

30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand —causes you to sin, 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 be thrown into hell. Teaching about Divorce

31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

31 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice 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.

32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. Teaching about Vows

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 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the LORD .’

34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven 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.

35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.

36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.

37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. Teaching about Revenge

38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a 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.

39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer 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.

40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.

41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. Teaching about Love for Enemies

43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘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;

44 But I say, love your enemies! 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.

45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.

47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.