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.”
4 #
Is 61.2. God blesses those people
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
5 #
Ps 37.11. God blesses those people
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
6 #
Is 55.1,2; Si 24.21. God blesses those people
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!
8 #
Ps 24.3,4; 2 Esd 7.98. God blesses those people
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
9God blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
10 #
1 P 3.14. God blesses those people
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.
11 #
1 P 4.14. God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12#2 Ch 36.16; Si 2.8; Ac 7.52. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.
Salt and Light
(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)
13 #
Mk 9.50; Lk 14.34,35. You are the 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.
14 #
Jn 8.12; 9.5. You are the light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, 15#Mk 4.21; Lk 8.16; 11.33. and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a clay pot. Instead, it is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. 16#1 P 2.12. Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven.
The Law of Moses
17Don't suppose 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. 18#Lk 16.17. Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.
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 will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
21 #
Ex 20.13; Dt 5.17. You know our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.” 22But I promise you 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 will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe.
Marriage
27 #
Ex 20.14; Dt 5.18. You know the commandment which says, “Be faithful in marriage.” 28But I tell you if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts. 29#Mt 18.9; Mk 9.47. If 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. 30#Mt 18.8; Mk 9.43,44. If 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.
Divorce
(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)
31 #
Dt 24.1-4; Mt 19.7; Mk 10.4. You 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. 32#Mt 19.9; Mk 10.11,12; Lk 16.18; 1 Co 7.10,11. But 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 18.6-18 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.
Promises
33 #
Lv 19.12;
Nu 30.2; Dt 23.21. You know our ancestors were told, “Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it.” 34#Jas 5.12; Is 66.1; Mt 23.22. But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven. 35#Is 66.1; Ps 48.2. The 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. 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)
38 #
Ex 21.24; Lv 24.20; Dt 19.19-21. You know you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 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 kilometer, carry it two kilometers.#5.41 two kilometers: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as one kilometer. 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)
43 #
Si 12.4-7. You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” 44But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45#Si 4.10. Then 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 this? 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 this? Don't even unbelievers do that? 48#Lv 19.2. But you must always act like your Father in heaven.
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Matthew 5: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Matthew 5
5
The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes
1 Now when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and after he#*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“sat down”) which is understood as temporal sat down, his disciples approached him. 2And opening his mouth he began to teach them, saying,
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are the ones who mourn,
because they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
because they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
because they will be satisfied.
7Blessed are the merciful,
because they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
because they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
because they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are you
when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying on account of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
The Sermon on the Mount: Salt and Light
13“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, by what will it be made salty? It is good for nothing any longer except to be thrown outside and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“thrown”) has been translated as a finite verb trampled under foot by people. 14You are the light of the world. A city located on top of a hill cannot be hidden, 15nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house. 16In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
The Sermon on the Mount: The Law and the Prophets Fulfilled
17“Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to fulfill them. 18For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one tiny letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all takes place. 19Therefore whoever abolishes one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps them and teaches them, this person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say to you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The Sermon on the Mount: Anger Toward Others
21“You have heard that it was said to the people of old,#Literally “ancients” ‘Do not commit murder,’#A quotation from Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17 and ‘whoever commits murder will be subject to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry at his brother will be subject to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Stupid fool!’#Greek “Raca,” a term of verbal abuse involving lack of intelligence will be subject to the council, and whoever says, ‘Obstinate fool!’#Perhaps with the idea of obstinate, godless foolishness; some take the word to be a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word for “rebel” (Deut 21:18, 20) will be subject to fiery hell. 23Therefore if you present your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and first go be reconciled to your brother, and then come and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“come”) has been translated as a finite verb present your gift. 25Settle the case quickly with your accuser#Literally “be making friends quickly with your accuser” while you are with him on the way, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26Truly I say to you, you will never come out of there until you have paid back the last penny!
The Sermon on the Mount: Adultery and Lust
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’#A quotation from Exod 20:14; Deut 5:17 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than your whole body be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell.
The Sermon on the Mount: Divorce
31“And it was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’#A quotation from Deut 24:1 32But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for a matter of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The Sermon on the Mount: Taking Oaths
33“Again you have heard that it was said to the people of old,#Literally “ancients” ‘Do not swear falsely,#Or “do not break your oath” but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’#A quotation from Lev 19:12 34But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king. 36And do not swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37But let your statement be ‘Yes, yes; no, no,’ and anything beyond these is from the evil one.#Or “is of evil”
The Sermon on the Mount: Retaliation
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’#A quotation from Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20 39But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer, but whoever strikes you on the right cheek,#Some manuscripts have “your right cheek” turn the other to him also. 40And the one who wants to go to court with you and take your tunic, let him have#Literally “leave to him” your outer garment also. 41And whoever forces you to go one mile,#A Roman mile was originally a thousand paces, but was later fixed at eight stades (1,478.5 meters) go with him two. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
The Sermon on the Mount: Love for Enemies
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’#A quotation from Lev 19:18 and ‘Hate your enemy.’#An allusion to Deut 23:3–6 44But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that is remarkable? Do not the Gentiles also do the same? 48Therefore you be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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