1And when Jesus saw the large crowds gathering, He went up on a mountainside; and sat down. His disciples came to Him; 2And He began teaching them, by saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful; for they shall be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called children of God. 10Blessed are they who are persecuted for being righteous; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you, when people insult, persecute, and slander you, saying all kinds of evil and false charges against you, for My sake. 12Rejoice, and be very glad; because your reward in heaven shall be great; for in the same manner, they persecuted the prophets who came before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses his savor (saltiness), how can it recover its saltiness? It is then good for nothing, except to toss it out, and be trampled underfoot. 14You are the light of the world. A city that is built upon a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under a bushel, but instead they put it on a lampstand; and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.

17“Do not think that I have come to abolish (or nullify) the law, or the writings of the prophets; I have not come to destroy, but rather to fulfill (their purpose). 18For verily (truly) I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle (the smallest letter or stroke) shall in any way pass away from the law, until all is fulfilled. 19Therefore, whoever ignores one of the least of these commandments, and teaches (or encourages) other to, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever shall abide by and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say to you, ‘That unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (teachers of religious law), you shall certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.’

21“You have heard it said by them of long ago, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be in danger of (subject to) judgment’; 22But I tell you that whoever is angry with his brother or sister without just cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother or sister, ‘Raca’, shall be in danger of (subject to) the council (the court); but whoever shall say, ‘You fool’, shall be in danger of the fire of hell. 23Therefore, if you bring your gift offering to the Temple altar, and then remember that your brother (someone) has anything against you; 24Leave your gift there at the altar, and first go and be reconciled to that person, and then come back and offer your gift. 25Agree with your adversary (settle disputes) quickly, while you are with him along the way; so that your adversary does not turn you over to the judge, and the judge hands you over to an officer, and you end up in prison. 26Verily I tell you, you shall by no means go free until you have paid the uttermost farthing (last penny).

27“You have heard it said by those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28But I tell you that whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29And if your right eye offends (causes you to stumble (lust)), pluck (tear or gouge) it out, and throw it away from you; for it is better for you that you lose one of your members, than that your whole body should be cast into hell. 30And if your right hand offends, cut if off, and throw it away; for, again, is better for you that you lose one of your members, than that your whole body should end up in hell.

31“It has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a writing (certificate) of divorce.’; 32But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except in the case of fornication (adultery), makes her the victim of adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, you have heard that it said by them of old time, ‘You shall not break your oath (perjure yourself), but shall perform (fulfill) your oaths as unto the Lord.’; 34But I say to you, ‘Do not swear at all; not by heaven; for it is God's throne; 35Nor by the earth; for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37But let your communication be simply, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; for anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

38“You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’; 39But I tell you, do not resist an evil person; but if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other cheek, also. 40And if any man wants to sue you at the law, and takes away your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41And if anyone compels you to go a mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him that would borrow from you.

43“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use and persecute you.’ 45That you may be the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love only those who love you, what reward will you get? Don’t even the tax collectors do that 47And if you greet only your own friends, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the heathen do so?

48“Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father Who in heaven is perfect.”