When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down, and his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to teach them. This is what he said:
3 “Fortunate are the poor in spirit — the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
4 Fortunate are those who mourn — they will be comforted.
5 Fortunate are the gentle — they will inherit the earth.[1]
6 Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for what is right — they will be filled.
7 Fortunate are the merciful — they will receive mercy.
8 Fortunate are the pure in heart — they will see God.
9 Fortunate are the peacemakers — they will be called sons of God.
10 Fortunate are those who are persecuted for doing what is right — the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
11 Fortunate are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you — lies — because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because your reward in heaven is great. That is how they persecuted the prophets who came before you.”
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It’s no good for anything anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 And people don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket. They put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.[2] 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good you do and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
17 “Don’t think I came to do away with the Law or the Prophets. I didn’t come to do away with them — I came to bring them to their full meaning. 18 Amen, I tell you: until heaven and earth pass away, not one smallest letter, not one tiny stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law — not until everything is accomplished.[3] 19 So whoever breaks one of these commands, even the smallest one, and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 I tell you, unless you do what is right far better than the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
21 “You’ve heard that it was said to the people long ago: ‘Do not murder. Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you: anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be answerable to the council. And anyone who says, ‘You fool,’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.[4][5]
23 So if you’re bringing your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and make things right with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.
25 Settle matters quickly with your accuser while you’re still on the way to court with him. Otherwise he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you’ll be thrown into prison. 26 Amen, I tell you: you won’t get out of there until you’ve paid back the very last penny.”[6]
27 “You’ve heard that it was said: ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman with lustful desire has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away. It’s better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into Gehenna.”
31 “It was said: ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you: anyone who divorces his wife — except on the ground of forbidden sex — makes her an adulteress. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”[7]
33 “Again, you’ve heard that it was said to the people long ago: ‘Do not break your oaths, but carry out the oaths you made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you: don’t swear an oath at all — not by heaven, because it’s God’s throne, 35 not by the earth, because it’s his footstool, not by Jerusalem, because it’s the city of the great King. 36 And don’t swear by your own head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. 37 Just let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Anything more than that comes from the evil one.”
38 “You’ve heard that it was said: ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you: don’t resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat too. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.[8] 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
43 “You’ve heard that it was said: ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on those who do right and those who do wrong. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?[9] 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that’s special? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 So be complete, just as your heavenly Father is complete.”
Notes
Note 1. The Greek word behind “gentle” is praus — mild, humble, unassuming. It is used of a broken-in animal, and Matthew uses it again at 21:5 of a king riding a donkey. The same term stands in Psalm 37:11 in the Greek Old Testament, where the praeis “inherit the land” — the line this beatitude follows. ↩
Note 2. The “basket” is a modios, the standard household dry-measure for grain, holding roughly eight or nine liters. ↩
Note 3. The Greek keeps the Hebrew word amēn — the same “amen” said at the end of a prayer, meaning roughly “so be it,” “that is true.” Normally you say it after someone else has spoken, to agree with them. Jesus says it first, and about his own words. ↩
Note 4. “Gehenna” is a real place — the Valley of Hinnom, a ravine just south of Jerusalem with a grim past. It is a specific place-name, kept distinct from the general English word “hell” and from “Hades,” the realm of the dead. ↩
Note 5. “Raca” is left untranslated because it is an Aramaic term of contempt, from a root meaning “empty” — roughly “empty-headed” or “idiot.” It was a real street insult, and Jewish sources of the period likewise treated calling someone such names as a serious offense. ↩
Note 6. The coin here is the kodrantes, the Roman quadrans — the smallest Roman bronze coin, worth a sixty-fourth of a denarius, a laborer’s daily wage. ↩
Note 7. The Greek is porneia, a category word rather than a specific act: it covers prostitution, incest, and sex outside or against a marriage. What it means in this one clause has been argued over for centuries, because the answer decides what grounds for divorce the sentence allows. The Greek does not narrow it, and neither does this translation. ↩
Note 8. The verb here, angareuo, refers to a specific legal power: a Roman soldier could lawfully compel any civilian to carry his gear or baggage for one Roman mile. It was a resented mark of occupation. ↩
Note 9. Tax collectors were fellow Jews who contracted with the Roman occupation to collect its revenues, often profiting by overcharging their own neighbors. That collaboration and their constant dealings with Gentiles made them widely despised. ↩