Matthew 5 Common English Bible

5 ¹Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. ²He taught them, saying:

Happy people

³“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

⁴“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

⁵“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

⁶“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

⁷“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

⁸“Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.

⁹“Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.

¹⁰“Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

¹¹“Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. ¹²Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.

Salt and light

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. ¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus and the Law

¹⁷“Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸I say to you very seriously that as long as heaven and earth exist, neither the smallest letter nor even the smallest stroke of a pen will be erased from the Law until everything there becomes a reality. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever ignores one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called the lowest in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps these commands and teaches people to keep them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰I say to you that unless your righteousness is greater than the righteousness of the legal experts and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Law of murder

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder,^[a] and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment. ²²But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell. ²³Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift at the altar and go. First make things right with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift. ²⁵Be sure to make friends quickly with your opponents while you are with them on the way to court. Otherwise, they will haul you before the judge, the judge will turn you over to the officer of the court, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶I say to you in all seriousness that you won’t get out of there until you’ve paid the very last penny.

Law of adultery

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, Don’t commit adultery.^[b] ²⁸But I say to you that every man who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart. ²⁹And if your right eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It’s better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to fall into sin, chop it off and throw it away. It’s better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body go into hell.

Law of divorce

³¹“It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a divorce certificate.’^[c] ³²But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife except for sexual unfaithfulness forces her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Law of solemn pledges

³³“Again you have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago: Don’t make a false solemn pledge, but you should follow through on what you have pledged to the Lord.^[d] ³⁴But I say to you that you must not pledge at all. You must not pledge by heaven, because it’s God’s throne. ³⁵You must not pledge by the earth, because it’s God’s footstool. You must not pledge by Jerusalem, because it’s the city of the great king. ³⁶And you must not pledge by your head, because you can’t turn one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Law of retaliation

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.^[e] ³⁹But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you. If people slap you on your right cheek, you must turn the left cheek to them as well. ⁴⁰When they wish to haul you to court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. ⁴¹When they force you to go one mile, go with them two. ⁴²Give to those who ask, and don’t refuse those who wish to borrow from you.

Law of love

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor^[f] and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you ⁴⁵so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.