Matthew 5
5
Jesus Teaches the People
1Jesus saw the crowds who were there. He went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came to him. 2Jesus taught the people and said:
3“Those people who know they have great spiritual needs are happy.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
4Those who are sad now are happy.
God will comfort them.
5Those who are humble are happy.
The earth will belong to them.
6Those who want to do right more than anything else are happy.
God will fully satisfy them.
7Those who give mercy to others are happy.
Mercy will be given to them.
8Those who are pure in their thinking are happy.
They will be with God.
9Those who work to bring peace are happy.
God will call them his sons.
10Those who are treated badly for doing good are happy.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
11“People will say bad things about you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do these things to you, you are happy. 12Rejoice and be glad. You have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you.
You Are Like Salt and Light
13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its salty taste, it cannot be made salty again. It is good for nothing. It must be thrown out for people to walk on.
14“You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put the light on a lampstand. Then the light shines for all the people in the house. 16In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do. Live so that they will praise your Father in heaven.
The Importance of the Law
17“Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have not come to destroy their teachings but to do what they said. 18I tell you the truth. Nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until all has happened. 19Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the law and teaches other people to obey the law will be great in the kingdom of heaven. 20I tell you that you must do better than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. If you are not better than they are, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus Teaches About Anger
21“You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone.# Quotation from Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17. Anyone who murders another will be judged.’ 22But I tell you, if you are angry with your brother,# Some Greek copies continue, “without a reason.” you will be judged. And if you say bad things to your brother, you will be judged by the Jewish council. And if you call your brother a fool, then you will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23“So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with him. Then come and offer your gift.
25“If your enemy is taking you to court, become friends with him quickly. You should do that before you go to court. If you don’t become his friend, he might turn you over to the judge. And the judge might give you to a guard to put you in jail. 26I tell you that you will not leave that jail until you have paid everything you owe.
Jesus Teaches About Adultery
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not be guilty of adultery.’# Quotation from Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18. 28But I tell you that if anyone looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery with her in his mind. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, then take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30If your right hand causes you to sin, then cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Jesus Teaches About Divorce
31“It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written divorce paper.’# Quotation from Deuteronomy 24:1. 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife is causing his wife to be guilty of adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if she has been unfaithful to him. And anyone who marries that divorced woman is guilty of adultery.
Make Promises Carefully
33“You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘When you make a promise, don’t break your promise. Keep the promises that you make to the Lord.’# Quotation from Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21. 34But I tell you, never make an oath. Don’t make an oath using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne. 35Don’t make an oath using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to God. Don’t make an oath using the name of Jerusalem, because that is the city of the great King. 36And don’t even say that your own head is proof that you will keep your oath. You cannot make one hair on your head become white or black. 37Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’ If you must say more than ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ it is from the Evil One.
Don’t Fight Back
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’# Quotation from Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21. 39But I tell you, don’t stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, then turn and let him slap the other cheek too. 40If someone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, then let him have your coat too. 41If a soldier forces you to go with him one mile, then go with him two miles. 42If a person asks you for something, then give it to him. Don’t refuse to give to a person who wants to borrow from you.
Love All People
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor# Quotation from Leviticus 19:18. and hate your enemies.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.# Some Greek copies continue, “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you.” Compare Luke 6:28. 45If you do this, then you will be true sons of your Father in heaven. Your Father causes the sun to rise on good people and on bad people. Your Father sends rain to those who do good and to those who do wrong. 46If you love only the people who love you, then you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. 47And if you are nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other people. Even people without God are nice to their friends. 48So you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
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Matthew 5: ICB
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Matthew 5
5
The sermon on the mount
1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down.#5.1 sat down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat down when they taught.
Blessings
(Luke 6.20-23)
Jesus' disciples gathered around him, 2and he taught them:
3God blesses those people
who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven!#5.3 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or “The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
4God blesses those people#Is 61.2.
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
5God blesses those people#Ps 37.11.
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
6God blesses those people#Is 55.1,2.
who want to obey him#5.6 who want to obey him: Or “who want to do right” or “who want everyone to be treated right”.
more than to eat or drink.
They will be given
what they want!
7God blesses those people
who are merciful.
They will be treated
with mercy!
8God blesses those people#Ps 24.3,4.
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
9God blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
10God blesses those people#1 P 3.14.
who are treated badly
for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven.#5.10 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3.
11God will bless you when people insult you, ill-treat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me.#1 P 4.14. 12Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.#2 Ch 36.16; Ac 7.52.
Salt and light
(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)
Jesus continued:
13You are like salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.#Mk 9.50; Lk 14.34,35.
14You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden,#Jn 8.12; 9.5. 15and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house.#Mk 4.21; Lk 8.16; 11.33. 16Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.#1 P 2.12.
The Law of Moses
Jesus continued:
17Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.#5.17 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a full stop or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.#Lk 16.17.
19If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
Jesus continued:
21You know that our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.”#Ex 20.13; Dt 5.17. 22But I promise you that if you are angry with someone,#5.22 someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has “brother”, which may refer to people in general or to other followers. you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.
23So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.
25Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. 26I promise you that you will not get out until you have paid the last penny you owe.
Marriage
Jesus continued:
27You know the commandment which says, “Be faithful in marriage.”#Ex 20.14; Dt 5.18. 28But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell.#Mt 18.9; Mk 9.47. 30If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.#Mt 18.8; Mk 9.43.
Divorce
(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)
Jesus continued:
31You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her.#5.31 write out divorce papers for her: Jewish men could divorce their wives, but the women could not divorce their husbands. The purpose of writing these papers was to make it harder for a man to divorce his wife. Before this law was made, all a man had to do was to send his wife away and say that she was no longer his wife.#Dt 24.1-4; Mt 19.7; Mk 10.4. 32But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin.#5.32 some terrible sexual sin: This probably refers to the laws about the wrong kinds of marriages that are forbidden in Leviticus or to some serious sexual sin. If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife.#Mt 19.9; Mk 10.11,12; Lk 16.18; 1 Co 7.10,11.
Promises
Jesus continued:
33You know that our ancestors were told, “Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it.”#Lv 19.12; Nu 30.2; Dt 23.21. 34But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven.#Jas 5.12; Is 66.1; Mt 23.22. 35The earth is God's footstool, so don't swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don't swear by it.#Is 66.1; Ps 48.2. 36Don't swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. 37When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No”. Anything else comes from the devil.
Revenge
(Luke 6.29,30)
Jesus continued:
38You know that you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”#Ex 21.24; Lv 24.20; Dt 19.21. 39But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek,#5.39 right cheek: A slap on the right cheek was a bad insult. turn and let that person slap your other cheek. 40If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. 41If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one kilometre, carry it two kilometres.#5.41 two kilometres: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as approximately one and a half kilometres. 42When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.
Love
(Luke 6.27,28,32-36)
Jesus continued:
43You have heard people say, “Love your neighbours and hate your enemies.” 44But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who ill-treats you. 45Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors#5.46 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion. love their friends. 47If you greet only your friends, what's so great about that? Don't even unbelievers do that? 48But you must always act like your Father in heaven.#Lv 19.2; Dt 18.13.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012