Mat 5 | ESV | STEP | Seeing the crowds , he went up on the mountain , and when he sat down , his disciples came to him .

11 ^u“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ^von my account. 12 ^wRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for ^xso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, ^ybut if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 ^z“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 ^aaNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ^abthat ^{▼▼Or house. 16Let your light so shine before others that} they may see your good works and ^adgive glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 ^ae“Do not think that I have come to abolish ^afthe Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but ^agto fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, ^ahuntil heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 ^aiTherefore whoever relaxes ^ajone of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least ^akin the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great ^alin the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds ^amthat of the scribes and Pharisees, you ^anwill never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

21 ^ao“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ^ap‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ^aqto judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that ^areveryone who is angry with his brother ^{▼▼Some manuscripts insert without cause} will be liable ^atto judgment; whoever insults ^{▼▼Greek says Raca to (a term of abuse)} his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to ^avthe hell ^{▼▼Greek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30} of fire. 23 ^axSo if ^ayyou are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 ^azCome to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, ^bayou will never get out until you have paid the last penny. ^{▼▼Greek kodrantes, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)}

Lust

27 ^bc“You have heard that it was said, ^bd‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that ^beeveryone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 ^bfIf your right eye ^bgcauses you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into ^bhhell. 30 ^biAnd if your right hand ^bjcauses you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into ^bkhell.

Divorce

31 ^bl“It was also said, ^bm‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 ^bnBut I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and ^bowhoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

33 “Again ^bpyou have heard that it was said to those of old, ^bq‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^brshall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, ^bsDo not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for ^btit is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is ^buthe city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; ^bvanything more than this comes from evil. ^{▼▼Or the evil one}

Retaliation

38 ^bx“You have heard that it was said, ^by‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, ^bzDo not resist the one who is evil. But ^caif anyone ^cbslaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And ^ccif anyone would sue you and take your tunic, ^{▼▼Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin} let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone ^ceforces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 ^cfGive to the one who begs from you, and ^cgdo not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

43 ^ch“You have heard that it was said, ^ci‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, ^cjLove your enemies and ^ckpray for those who persecute you, 45 ^clso that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and ^cmsends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 ^cnFor if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters} what more are you doing than others? Do not even ^cpthe Gentiles do the same? 48 ^cqYou therefore must be ^crperfect, ^csas your heavenly Father is perfect.