1When Jesus saw the crowds following him he went up a mountain. There he sat down together with his disciples.

2He began teaching them, saying:

3“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually poor, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5Blessed are those who are kind ²⁶for they will own the whole world.

6Blessed are those whose greatest desire ²⁷is to do what is right, for they will be satisfied.

7Blessed are those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are those who have pure minds, for they will see God.

9Blessed are those who work to bring peace, for they will be called children of God.

10Blessed are those persecuted for what is right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

11Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and accuse you of all kinds of evil things because of me.

12Be glad, be really glad, for you will receive a great reward in heaven—for they persecuted the prophets who came before you in just the same way.

13You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt becomes tasteless, ²⁸how can you make it salty again? It's good for nothing, so it's thrown out and trodden down.

14You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill can't be hidden.

15No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a bucket. No, it's placed on a lamp-stand and it provides light to everyone in the house.

16In the same way you should let your light shine before everyone so they can see the good things you do and praise your heavenly Father.

17Don't think I came to abolish the law or the writings of the prophets. I didn't come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

18I assure you, until heaven and earth come to an end, not a single letter, not a single dot of the law will come to an end before everything is fulfilled.

19So whoever disregards ²⁹the least important commandment, and teaches people to do so, will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches the commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20I tell you, unless your moral rightness ³⁰is more than that of the religious teachers and the Pharisees, you can never enter the kingdom of heaven.

21You've heard that the law said ³¹to the people of long ago: ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who commits murder will be condemned as guilty.’ ³²

22But I tell you, anyone who is angry with his brother will be condemned as guilty. Whoever calls his brother an idiot has to answer to the council, ³³but whoever verbally abuses others is liable to the fire of Gehenna. ³⁴

23If you're at the altar making an offering, and remember that your brother has something against you,

24leave your offering on the altar and go and make peace with him first, and afterwards come back and make your offering.

25While you're on the way to court with your opponent, make sure you settle things quickly. Otherwise your opponent might hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the court official, and you will be thrown into jail.

26I tell you the truth: you won't get out of there until you've paid every last penny.

27You've heard that the law said, ‘Don't commit adultery.’ ³⁵

28But I tell you that everyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his mind.

29If your right eye leads you to sin, then tear it out and throw it away, because it's better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into the fire of Gehenna.

30If your right hand leads you to sin, then cut it off and throw it away, for it's better for you to lose one of your limbs than for your whole body to go into the fire of Gehenna.

31The law also said, ‘If a man divorces his wife, he should give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³⁶

32But I tell you that any man who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33And again, you've heard that the law said to the people of long ago, ‘You shall not perjure yourself. Instead make sure you keep the oaths you swear to the Lord.’ ³⁷

34But I tell you, don't swear at all. Don't swear by heaven, because it's the throne of God.

35Don't swear by the earth, because it's God's footstool. Don't swear by Jerusalem, because it's the city of the great King.

36Don't even swear by your head, because you're not able to make a single hair white or black.

37Simply say yes or no—more than this comes from the evil one.

38You've heard that the law said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁸

39But I tell you, don't resist someone who is evil. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to them as well.

40If someone wants to sue you in court and takes your shirt, give them your coat too. ³⁹

41If someone demands that you go one mile, go with them two. ⁴⁰

42Give to those who ask you, and don't turn away those who want to borrow from you.

43You've heard that the law said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴¹

44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45so you may become children of your heavenly Father. For his sun shines on both the good and the bad; and he makes the rain fall on both those who do right and those who do wrong.

46For if you only love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do that?

47If you only speak kindly to your family, what more are you doing than anyone else? Even the heathen ⁴²do that!

48Grow up and become completely trustworthy, ⁴³just as your heavenly Father is trustworthy.”