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The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

^1 (C1)When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on ^(C2)the mountain; and when He was seated, His ^(F1)disciples came to Him.² Then ^(C1)He began to teach them, saying,

³ "^(C1)Blessed spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired are the poor in spirit those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant, for ^(C2)theirs is the kingdom of heaven both now and forever. ^(VR1)

⁴ "Blessed forgiven, refreshed by God's grace are ^(C1)those who mourn over their sins and repent, for they will be comforted when the burden of sin is lifted. ^(VR1)

⁵ "Blessed inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect are ^(C1)the ^(F1)gentle the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled, for they will inherit the earth. ^(VR1)

⁶ "Blessed joyful, nourished by God's goodness are ^(C1)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness those who actively seek right standing with God, for they will be completely satisfied. ^(VR1)

⁷ "Blessed content, sheltered by God's promises are ^(C1)the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ "Blessed anticipating God's presence, spiritually mature are ^(C1)the pure in heart those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character, for ^(C2)they will see God. ^(VR1)

⁹ "Blessed spiritually calm with life-joy in God's favor are the makers and maintainers of peace, for ^(C1)they will express His character and be called the sons of God. ^(VR1)

¹⁰ "Blessed comforted by inner peace and God's love are those who are ^(C1)persecuted for ^(F1)doing that which is morally right, for ^(C2)theirs is the kingdom of heaven both now and forever.

¹¹ "Blessed morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God's goodness are you when people ^(C1)insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of your association with Me.¹² "Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great absolutely inexhaustible; for ^(C1)in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ^(VR1)

Disciples and the World

¹³ "You are the ^(F1)salt of the earth; but ^(C1)if the salt has ^(F2)lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people when the walkways are wet and slippery.

¹⁴ "You are ^(C1)the light of Christ to the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;^15 (C1)nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ^(VR1)16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may ^(C1)see your good deeds and moral excellence, and recognize and honor and ^(C2)glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ "Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the ^(F1)(C1)Law of Moses or the writings of the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.¹⁸ "For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^(C1)until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of the pen will pass from the Law until all things which it foreshadows are accomplished.¹⁹ "So whoever breaks one of the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least important ^(C1)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ "For I say to you that unless your ^(C1)righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Personal Relationships

²¹ "^(C1)You have heard that it was said to the men of old, '^(C2)YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,' and 'Whoever murders shall be ^(F1)guilty before ^(C3)the court.' ^(VR1)22 "But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before ^(C1)the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother, ^(F1)'Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!' shall be guilty before ^(C2)the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the ^(F2)fiery ^(C3)hell.²³ "So if you are ^(C1)presenting your offering at the altar, and while there you remember that your brother has something such as a grievance or legitimate complaint against you,²⁴ leave your offering there at the altar and go. First ^(C1)make peace with your brother, and then come and present your offering.²⁵ "^(C1)Come to terms quickly at the earliest opportunity with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way to court, so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you are thrown into prison. ^(VR1)26 "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^(C1)you will not come out of there until you have paid the last ^(F1)cent.

²⁷ "^(C1)You have heard that it was said, '^(C2)YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; ^(VR1)28 but I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman ^(C1)with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.²⁹ "^(C1)If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into ^(C2)hell.³⁰ "^(C1)If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into ^(C2)hell.

³¹ "It has also been said, '^(C1)WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE IS TO GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';^32 (C1)but I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on grounds of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery. ^(VR1)

³³ "Again, ^(C1)you have heard that it was said to the men of old, '^(C2)YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT YOU SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD as a religious duty.'³⁴ "But I say to you, ^(C1)do not make an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is ^(C2)the throne of God;³⁵ or by the earth, for it is the ^(C1)footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is ^(C2)THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. ^(VR1)36 "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black.³⁷ "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no' a firm yes or no; anything more than that comes from the ^(C1)evil one. ^(VR1)

³⁸ "^(C1)You have heard that it was said, '^(C2)AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH punishment that fits the offense.' ^(VR1)39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person who insults you or violates your rights; but ^(C1)whoever ^(F1)slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other toward him also simply ignore insignificant insults or trivial losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity, your self-respect, your poise. ^(VR1)40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, ^(F1)let him have your coat also for the Lord repays the offender.⁴¹ "And whoever ^(F1)forces you to go one mile, go with him two.⁴² "^(C1)Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. ^(VR1)

⁴³ "^(C1)You have heard that it was said, '^(C2)YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR (fellow man) ^(C3)and hate your enemy.' ^(VR1)44 "But I say to you, ^(F1)(C1)love that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ^(VR1)45 so that you may show yourselves to be the ^(C1)children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous those who are morally upright and the unrighteous the unrepentant, those who oppose Him.⁴⁶ "For ^(C1)if you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?⁴⁷ "And if you greet only your brothers wishing them God's blessing and peace, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles who do not know the Lord do that?⁴⁸ "^(C1)You, therefore, will be perfect growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ^(VR1)