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For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds 1that of the scribes and Pharisees, you 2will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
213"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 4'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable 5to judgment.'
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But I say to you that 6everyone who is angry with his brother[a] will be liable 7to judgment; whoever insults[b] his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to 8the hell[c] of fire.
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9So if 10you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
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leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
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11Come 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.
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Truly, I say to you, 12you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.[d]
Lust
2713"You have heard that it was said, 14'You shall not commit adultery.'
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But I say to you that 15everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
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16If your right eye 17causes 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 18hell.
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19And if your right hand 20causes 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 21hell.
Divorce
3122"It was also said, 23'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
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24But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and 25whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33"Again 26you have heard that it was said to those of old, 27'You shall not swear falsely, but 28shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'
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But I say to you, 29Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for 30it is the throne of God,
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or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is 31the city of the great King.
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And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
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Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; 32anything more than this comes from evil.[e]
Retaliation
3833"You have heard that it was said, 34'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
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But I say to you, 35Do not resist the one who is evil. But 36if anyone 37slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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And 38if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,[f] let him have your cloak as well.
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And if anyone 39forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
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40Give to the one who begs from you, and 41do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies
4342"You have heard that it was said, 43'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
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But I say to you, 44Love your enemies and 45pray for those who persecute you,
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46so 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 47sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
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48For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
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And if you greet only your brothers,[g] what more are you doing than others? Do not even 49the Gentiles do the same?
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50You therefore must be 51perfect, 52as your heavenly Father is perfect.
[f].
Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
[g].
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
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.