New American Standard Bible 1995

New Living Translation

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

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

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

2and he began to teach them. The Beatitudes

3"Blessed 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’

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.

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.

23"Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’

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.

28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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 .’

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

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

35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or 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.

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

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

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

38"You have heard that it was 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.’

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.

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

44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

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.