Mark 14

The Plot against Jesus

1 It was now two days before the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.

2 “We must not do it during the festival,” they said, “or the people might riot.”

Jesus Is Anointed at Bethany

3 Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a dreaded skin disease. While Jesus was eating, a woman came in with an alabaster jar full of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.

4 Some of the people there became angry and said to one another, “What was the use of wasting the perfume?

5 It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coinsand the money given to the poor!” And they criticized her harshly.

6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a fine and beautiful thing for me.

7 You will always have poor people with you, and any time you want to, you can help them. But you will not always have me.

8 She did what she could; she poured perfume on my body to prepare it ahead of time for burial.

9 Now, I assure you that wherever the gospel is preached all over the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them.

11 They were pleased to hear what he had to say, and promised to give him money. So Judas started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.

Jesus Eats the Passover Meal with His Disciples

12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day the lambs for the Passover meal were killed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?”

13 Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions: “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him

14 to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house: ‘The Teacher says, Where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?’

15 Then he will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us.”

16 The disciples left, went to the city, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

17 When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve disciples.

18 While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you that one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

19 The disciples were upset and began to ask him, one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, do you?”

20 Jesus answered, “It will be one of you twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with me.

21 The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will; but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!”

The Lord’s Supper

22 While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take it,” he said, “this is my body.”

23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and handed it to them; and they all drank from it.

24 Jesus said, “This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God’s covenant.

25 I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.”

26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

27 Jesus said to them, “All of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, ‘God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will all be scattered.’

28 But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”

29 Peter answered, “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!”

30 Jesus said to Peter, “I tell you that before the rooster crows two times tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.”

31 Peter answered even more strongly, “I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!”

And all the other disciples said the same thing.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

32 They came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

33 He took Peter, James, and John with him. Distress and anguish came over him,

34 and he said to them, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.”

35 He went a little farther on, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering.

36 “Father,” he prayed, “my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

37 Then he returned and found the three disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Weren’t you able to stay awake for even one hour?”

38 And he said to them, “Keep watch, and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

39 He went away once more and prayed, saying the same words.

40 Then he came back to the disciples and found them asleep; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to say to him.

41 When he came back the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come! Look, the Son of Man is now being handed over to the power of sinners.

42 Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!”

The Arrest of Jesus

43 Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders.

44 The traitor had given the crowd a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him and take him away under guard.”

45 As soon as Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” and kissed him.

46 So they arrested Jesus and held him tight.

47 But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck at the High Priest’s slave, cutting off his ear.

48 Then Jesus spoke up and said to them, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw?

49 Day after day I was with you teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must come true.”

50 Then all the disciples left him and ran away.

51 A certain young man, dressed only in a linen cloth, was following Jesus. They tried to arrest him,

52 but he ran away naked, leaving the cloth behind.

Jesus before the Council

53 Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest’s house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering.

54 Peter followed from a distance and went into the courtyard of the High Priest’s house. There he sat down with the guards, keeping himself warm by the fire.

55 The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any.

56 Many witnesses told lies against Jesus, but their stories did not agree.

57 Then some men stood up and told this lie against Jesus:

58 “We heard him say, ‘I will tear down this Temple which men have made, and after three days I will build one that is not made by men.’”

59 Not even they, however, could make their stories agree.

60 The High Priest stood up in front of them all and questioned Jesus, “Have you no answer to the accusation they bring against you?”

61 But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?”

62 “I am,” answered Jesus, “and you will all see the Son of Man seated at the right side of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven!”

63 The High Priest tore his robes and said, “We don’t need any more witnesses!

64 You heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”

They all voted against him: he was guilty and should be put to death.

65 Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and they blindfolded him and hit him. “Guess who hit you!” they said. And the guards took him and slapped him.

Peter Denies Jesus

66 Peter was still down in the courtyard when one of the High Priest’s servant women came by.

67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Nazareth.”

68 But he denied it. “I don’t know … I don’t understand what you are talking about,” he answered, and went out into the passageway. Just then a rooster crowed.

69 The servant woman saw him there and began to repeat to the bystanders, “He is one of them!”

70 But Peter denied it again.

A little while later the bystanders accused Peter again, “You can’t deny that you are one of them, because you, too, are from Galilee.”

71 Then Peter said, “I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!”

72 Just then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows two times, you will say three times that you do not know me.” And he broke down and cried.

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Mark 15

Jesus before Pilate

1 Early in the morning the chief priests met hurriedly with the elders, the teachers of the Law, and the whole Council, and made their plans. They put Jesus in chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

2 Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “So you say.”

3 The chief priests were accusing Jesus of many things,

4 so Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Listen to all their accusations!”

5 Again Jesus refused to say a word, and Pilate was amazed.

Jesus Is Sentenced to Death

6 At every Passover Festival Pilate was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner the people asked for.

7 At that time a man named Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder in the riot.

8 When the crowd gathered and began to ask Pilate for the usual favor,

9 he asked them, “Do you want me to set free for you the king of the Jews?”

10 He knew very well that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.

11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask, instead, that Pilate set Barabbas free for them.

12 Pilate spoke again to the crowd, “What, then, do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

14 “But what crime has he committed?” Pilate asked.

They shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for them. Then he had Jesus whipped and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus

16 The soldiers took Jesus inside to the courtyard of the governor’s palace and called together the rest of the company.

17 They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown out of thorny branches, and put it on his head.

18 Then they began to salute him: “Long live the King of the Jews!”

19 They beat him over the head with a stick, spat on him, fell on their knees, and bowed down to him.

20 When they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Jesus Is Crucified

21 On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was from Cyrene and was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

22 They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means “The Place of the Skull.”

23 There they tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but Jesus would not drink it.

24 Then they crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get which piece of clothing.

25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

26 The notice of the accusation against him said: “The King of the Jews.”

27 They also crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left.

29 People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: “Aha! You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days!

30 Now come down from the cross and save yourself!”

31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law made fun of Jesus, saying to one another, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!

32 Let us see the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him!”

And the two who were crucified with Jesus insulted him also.

The Death of Jesus

33 At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours.

34 At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout,“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”

35 Some of the people there heard him and said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah!”

36 One of them ran up with a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, and put it on the end of a stick. Then he held it up to Jesus’ lips and said, “Wait! Let us see if Elijah is coming to bring him down from the cross!”

37 With a loud cry Jesus died.

38 The curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw how Jesus had died.“This man was really the Son of God!” he said.

40 Some women were there, looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joseph, and Salome.

41 They had followed Jesus while he was in Galilee and had helped him. Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him were there also.

The Burial of Jesus

42-43 It was toward evening when Joseph of Arimathea arrived. He was a respected member of the Council, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. It was Preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), so Joseph went boldly into the presence of Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus.

44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. He called the army officer and asked him if Jesus had been dead a long time.

45 After hearing the officer’s report, Pilate told Joseph he could have the body.

46 Joseph bought a linen sheet, took the body down, wrapped it in the sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb.

47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body of Jesus was placed.

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Mark 16

The Resurrection

1 After the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint the body of Jesus.

2 Very early on Sunday morning, at sunrise, they went to the tomb.

3-4 On the way they said to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” (It was a very large stone.) Then they looked up and saw that the stone had already been rolled back.

5 So they entered the tomb, where they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe—and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here—he has been raised! Look, here is the place where he was placed.

7 Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: ‘He is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 So they went out and ran from the tomb, distressed and terrified. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

AN OLD ENDING TO THE GOSPEL

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

[

9 After Jesus rose from death early on Sunday, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.

10 She went and told his companions. They were mourning and crying;

11 and when they heard her say that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe her.

Jesus Appears to Two Followers

12 After this, Jesus appeared in a different manner to two of them while they were on their way to the country.

13 They returned and told the others, but these would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to the Eleven

14 Last of all, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating. He scolded them, because they did not have faith and because they were too stubborn to believe those who had seen him alive.

15 He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

17 Believers will be given the power to perform miracles: they will drive out demons in my name; they will speak in strange tongues;

18 if they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be harmed; they will place their hands on sick people, and these will get well.”

Jesus Is Taken Up to Heaven

19 After the Lord Jesus had talked with them, he was taken up to heaven and sat at the right side of God.

20 The disciples went and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and proved that their preaching was true by the miracles that were performed.]

ANOTHER OLD ENDING

[

9 The women went to Peter and his friends and gave them a brief account of all they had been told.

10 After this, Jesus himself sent out through his disciples from the east to the west the sacred and everliving message of eternal salvation.]

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Matthew 1

The Ancestors of Jesus Christ

1 This is the list of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who was a descendant of Abraham.

2-6a From Abraham to King David, the following ancestors are listed: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers; then Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, and King David.

6b-11 FromDavid to the time when the people of Israel were taken into exile in Babylon, the following ancestors are listed: David, Solomon (his mother was the woman who had been Uriah’s wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, and Jehoiachin and his brothers.

12-16 From the time after the exile in Babylon to the birth of Jesus, the following ancestors are listed: Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, who married Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was called the Messiah.

17 So then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, and fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from then to the birth of the Messiah.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 This was how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit.

19 Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately.

20 While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.

21 She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus—because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 Now all this happened in order to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet,

23 “A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel” (which means, “God is with us”).

24 So when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to.

25 But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son. And Joseph named him Jesus.

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Matthew 2

Visitors from the East

1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem

2 and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.

4 He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

5 “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah;

for from you will come a leader

who will guide my people Israel.’”

7 So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9-10 And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

11 They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.

12 Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

The Escape to Egypt

13 After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.”

14 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt,

15 where he stayed until Herod died. This was done to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

The Killing of the Children

16 When Herod realized that the visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old and younger—this was done in accordance with what he had learned from the visitors about the time when the star had appeared.

17 In this way what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true:

18 “A sound is heard in Ramah,

the sound of bitter weeping.

Rachel is crying for her children;

she refuses to be comforted,

for they are dead.”

The Return from Egypt

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt

20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the child are dead.”

21 So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Israel.

22 But when Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. He was given more instructions in a dream, so he went to the province of Galilee

23 and made his home in a town named Nazareth. And so what the prophets had said came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

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Matthew 3

The Preaching of John the Baptist

1 At that time John the Baptist came to the desert of Judea and started preaching.

2 “Turn away from your sins,” he said, “because the Kingdom of heaven is near!”

3 John was the man the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said,

“Someone is shouting in the desert,

‘Prepare a road for the Lord;

make a straight path for him to travel!’”

4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair; he wore a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 People came to him from Jerusalem, from the whole province of Judea, and from all over the country near the Jordan River.

6 They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan.

7 When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You snakes—who told you that you could escape from the punishment God is about to send?

8 Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins.

9 And don’t think you can escape punishment by saying that Abraham is your ancestor. I tell you that God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham!

10 The ax is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire.

11 I baptize you with water to show that you have repented, but the one who will come after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He is much greater than I am; and I am not good enough even to carry his sandals.

12 He has his winnowing shovel with him to thresh out all the grain. He will gather his wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out.”

The Baptism of Jesus

13 At that time Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

14 But John tried to make him change his mind. “I ought to be baptized by you,” John said, “and yet you have come to me!”

15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires.” So John agreed.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on him.

17 Then a voice said from heaven, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased.”

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Matthew 4

The Temptation of Jesus

1 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil.

2 After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry.

3 Then the Devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”

4 But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’”

5 Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, set him on the highest point of the Temple,

6 and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says,

‘God will give orders to his angels about you;

they will hold you up with their hands,

so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”

7 Jesus answered, “But the scripture also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness.

9 “All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you kneel down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus answered, “Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’”

11 Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee.

13 He did not stay in Nazareth, but went to live in Capernaum, a town by Lake Galilee, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.

14 This was done to make come true what the prophet Isaiah had said,

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

on the road to the sea, on the other side of the Jordan,

Galilee, land of the Gentiles!

16 The people who live in darkness

will see a great light.

On those who live in the dark land of death

the light will shine.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach his message: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!”

Jesus Calls Four Fishermen

18 As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers who were fishermen, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew, catching fish in the lake with a net.

19 Jesus said to them, “Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.”

20 At once they left their nets and went with him.

21 He went on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat with their father Zebedee, getting their nets ready. Jesus called them,

22 and at once they left the boat and their father, and went with him.

Jesus Teaches, Preaches, and Heals

23 Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom, and healing people who had all kinds of disease and sickness.

24 The news about him spread through the whole country of Syria, so that people brought to him all those who were sick, suffering from all kinds of diseases and disorders: people with demons, and epileptics, and paralyzed people—and Jesus healed them all.

25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Ten Towns, from Jerusalem, Judea, and the land on the other side of the Jordan.

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Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount

1 Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him,

2 and he began to teach them:

True Happiness

3 “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor;

the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

4 “Happy are those who mourn;

God will comfort them!

5 “Happy are those who are humble;

they will receive what God has promised!

6 “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires;

God will satisfy them fully!

7 “Happy are those who are merciful to others;

God will be merciful to them!

8 “Happy are the pure in heart;

they will see God!

9 “Happy are those who work for peace;

God will call them his children!

10 “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires;

the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

11 “Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers.

12 Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted.

Salt and Light

13 “You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it.

14 “You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house.

16 In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

Teaching about the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true.

18 Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with—not until the end of all things.

19 So then, whoever disobeys even the least important of the commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of heaven.

20 I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires.

Teaching about Anger

21 “You have heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.’

22 But now I tell you: if you are angrywith your brother you will be brought to trial, if you call your brother ‘You good-for-nothing!’ you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.

23 So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

25 “If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute while there is time, before you get to court. Once you are there, you will be turned over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail.

26 There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.

Teaching about Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’

28 But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart.

29 So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go off to hell.

Teaching about Divorce

31 “It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’

32 But now I tell you: if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, then he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also.

Teaching about Vows

33 “You have also heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.’

34 But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

35 nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

37 Just say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’—anything else you say comes from the Evil One.

Teaching about Revenge

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too.

40 And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well.

41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.

42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him.

Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your friends, hate your enemies.’

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

45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.

46 Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that!

47 And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that!

48 You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/MAT/5-a046236ff4067dce0aa3a67bb5ee03ea.mp3?version_id=68—

Matthew 6

Teaching about Charity

1 “Make certain you do not perform your religious duties in public so that people will see what you do. If you do these things publicly, you will not have any reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it, as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets. They do it so that people will praise them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

3 But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it.

4 Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.

Teaching about Prayer

5 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

6 But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.

7 “When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long.

8 Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him.

9 This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven:

May your holy name be honored;

10 may your Kingdom come;

may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need.

12 Forgive us the wrongs we have done,

as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.

13 Do not bring us to hard testing,

but keep us safe from the Evil One.’

14 “If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.

15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.

Teaching about Fasting

16 “And when you fast, do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that everyone will see that they are fasting. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

17 When you go without food, wash your face and comb your hair,

18 so that others cannot know that you are fasting—only your Father, who is unseen, will know. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.

Riches in Heaven

19 “Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal.

20 Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal.

21 For your heart will always be where your riches are.

The Light of the Body

22 “The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light;

23 but if your eyes are no good, your body will be in darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it will be!

God and Possessions

24 “You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

25 “This is why I tell you: do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn’t life worth more than food? And isn’t the body worth more than clothes?

26 Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren’t you worth much more than birds?

27 Can any of you live a bit longerby worrying about it?

28 “And why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves.

29 But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.

30 It is God who clothes the wild grass—grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won’t he be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!

31 “So do not start worrying: ‘Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?’

32 (These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.) Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things.

33 Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.

34 So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.

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Matthew 7

Judging Others

1 “Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you,

2 for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and he will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.

3 Why, then, do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the log in your own eye?

4 How dare you say to your brother, ‘Please, let me take that speck out of your eye,’ when you have a log in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs—they will only turn and attack you. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs—they will only trample them underfoot.

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 “Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock.

9 Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread?

10 Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish?

11 As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

12 “Do for others what you want them to do for you: this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets.

The Narrow Gate

13 “Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it.

14 But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

15 “Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves.

16 You will know them by what they do. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briers do not bear figs.

17 A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit.

18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good fruit.

19 And any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire.

20 So then, you will know the false prophets by what they do.

I Never Knew You

21 “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.

22 When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’

23 Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’

The Two House Builders

24 “So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.

25 The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock.

26 “But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

27 The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!”

The Authority of Jesus

28 When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowd was amazed at the way he taught.

29 He wasn’t like the teachers of the Law; instead, he taught with authority.

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