Matthew

¹Seeing the crowds, Jesus⁷⁶ went up to the mountain and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. ²He began to speak and to teach them, saying:

³Blessed are the poor⁷⁷ in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!⁷⁸

⁴Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted!⁷⁹

⁵Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth!⁸⁰

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,

for they shall be filled!

⁷Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy!

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God!

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children⁸¹ of God!

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!

¹¹Blessed are you when people revile you, persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake!
¹²Rejoice, and be extremely glad,
for great is your reward in heaven!

Indeed, this is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you!

¹³You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is then good for nothing, only to be cast out and trampled under foot. ¹⁴You are the light of the world! A city located on a hill⁸² cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do you light a lamp and place it under a measuring basket, but on a stand. And so it shines to all who are in the house. ¹⁶Likewise, let your light shine before all, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The Law

¹⁷Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill! ¹⁸Amen, I tell you: until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter⁸³ or one tiny pen stroke⁸⁴ shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.^{85 19}Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. ²⁰Indeed, I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Anger

²¹You have heard that it was said of old, ‘You shall not murder;’⁸⁶ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be in danger of the judgment.’ ²²But I tell you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause⁸⁷ shall be in danger of the judgment. Whoever calls his brother ‘Raca!’⁸⁸ shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.⁸⁹

²³If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you, ²⁴leave your gift there, before the altar. First, go your way and be reconciled to your brother, and then offer your gift. ²⁵Find an agreement with your adversary as soon as possible, even as you are on your way to court, fearing that perhaps the prosecutor will deliver you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶Amen, I tell you: you will not get out of there until you have paid the last penny.⁹⁰

Adultery and divorce

²⁷You have heard that it was said to the ancients,⁹¹ ‘You shall not commit adultery;’^{92 28}but I tell you that anyone who gazes at a woman with a view to lust⁹³ after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you! Indeed, it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. ³⁰If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you! It is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

³¹It was also said, ‘Whoever shall divorce⁹⁴ his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce,’^{95 32}but I tell you that whoever divorces his wife (except for the case of sexual immorality), makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a woman put away in this manner commits adultery.

About swearing and oaths

³³Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not swear falsely; you must fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I tell you: do not swear at all! Neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Do not even swear by your head because you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷Instead, let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever goes beyond these is from the evil one.

Retaliation and love for one’s enemies

³⁸You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’^{96 39}But I tell you: do not resist one who is evil, but to whoever strikes you on your right cheek, present the other cheek as well. ⁴⁰If anyone sues you to take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him for two. ⁴²Give to whoever asks you, and do not deny whoever desires to borrow from you.

⁴³You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor,⁹⁷ and hate your enemy.⁹⁸‘ ⁴⁴But I tell you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you! Pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶And so, if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Do not even the tax collectors⁹⁹ do the same? ⁴⁸Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Almsgiving

76. Greek “he”
77. Or “destitute”—the expression “destitute in spirit” conveys the idea of a craving or deep awareness of a need for the things of the spirit
78. Isaias 57:15; 66:2
79. Isaias 61:2; 66:10,13
80. Or “land” (Psalm 37:11; 36 LXX). The LXX uses the same Greek word used in this beatitude, which can be translated “meek” (KJV), “gentle” (NASB) or “those who are humble” (ISV). However, yet none of these quite capture the full sense of the Greek. In particular, it is useful to consider that this word was used to describe a horse that had been broken in.
81. Or “sons/heirs”
82. Or “mountain”
83. Literally, iota
84. Or “serif”
85. Or “until all things have reached their end/purpose”
86. Exodus 20:13
87. CT omits “without cause” since it is not found in P64+67, B, and attested by Origen.
88. “Raca” is an Aramaic insult, related to the word for “empty” and conveying the idea of empty-headedness.
89. Or “hell”
90. literally, kodrantes. A kodrantes was a small copper coin worth about 2 lepta (widow’s mites)—not enough to buy very much of anything
91. CT and MT omit “to the ancients”
92. Exodus 20:14
93. A few ancient manuscripts read “gazes/looks at a woman with lust/desire”
94. Or “put away”
95. Deuteronomy 24:1
96. Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
97. Leviticus 19:18
98. Not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline LX, 21-26
99. CT reads “Gentiles” instead of “tax collectors”