Matthew 5:21-48

Personal Relationships

21 "¹You have heard that the ancients were told, '²YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER ' and 'Whoever * commits murder shall be liable to ³the court.'

22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before ⁴the court; and whoever * says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before ⁵the supreme court; and whoever * says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the ⁶fiery hell.

23 "Therefore if you are ⁷presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be ⁸reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

25 "⁹Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26 "Truly I say to you, ¹⁰you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

27 "¹¹You have heard that it was said, '¹²YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY ';

28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman ¹³with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 "¹⁴If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than * for your whole body to be thrown into ¹⁵hell.

30 "¹⁶If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than * for your whole body to go into ¹⁷hell.

31 "It was said, '¹⁸WHOEVER * SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE ';

32 ¹⁹but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever * marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 "Again, ²⁰you have heard that the ancients were told, '²¹YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.'

34 "But I say to you, ²²make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is ²³the throne of God,

35 or by the earth, for it is the ²⁴footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is ²⁵THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.

36 "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot * make one hair white or black.

37 "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes ' or 'No, no '; anything beyond these is of ²⁶evil.

38 "²⁷You have heard that it was said, '²⁸AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'

39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but ²⁹whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41 "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 "³⁰Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43 "³¹You have heard that it was said, '³²YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR ³³and hate your enemy.'

44 "But I say to you, ³⁴love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 so that you may be ³⁵sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46 "For ³⁶if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

47 "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

48 "Therefore ³⁷you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Cross References

• 1. Matt 5:27, 33, 38, 43
• 2. Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17
• 3. Deuteronomy 16:18; 2 Chronicles 19:5
• 4. Deuteronomy 16:18; 2 Chronicles 19:5
• 5. Matthew 10:17; Matthew 26:59; Mark 13:9; Mark 14:55; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66; John 11:47; Acts 4:15; Acts 5:21; Acts 6:12; Acts 22:30; Acts 23:1; Acts 24:20
• 6. Matthew 5:29; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 18:9; Matthew 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43f; Luke 12:5; James 3:6
• 7. Matthew 5:24
• 8. Romans 12:17, 18
• 9. Proverbs 25:8; Luke 12:58
• 10. Luke 12:59
• 11. Matt 5:21, 33, 38, 43
• 12. Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18
• 13. 2 Samuel 11:2-5; Job 31:1; Matthew 15:19; James 1:14, 15
• 14. Matthew 18:9; Mark 9:47
• 15. Matthew 5:22
• 16. Matthew 18:8; Mark 9:43
• 17. Matthew 5:22
• 18. Deuteronomy 24:1, 3; Jeremiah 3:1; Matthew 19:7; Mark 10:4
• 19. Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18; 1 Corinthians 7:11
• 20. Matthew 5:21, 27, 38, 43; Matthew 23:16f
• 21. Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21, 23
• 22. James 5:12
• 23. Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 23:22
• 24. Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:49
• 25. Psalms 48:2
• 26. Matthew 6:13; Matthew 13:19, 38; John 17:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 John 2:13; 1 John 3:12; 1 John 5:18
• 27. Matt 5:21, 27, 33, 43
• 28. Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
• 29. Matthew 5:39-42: {Luke 6:29, 30;} 1 Corinthians 6:7
• 30. Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Luke 6:34; 1 Timothy 6:18
• 31. Matt 5:21, 27, 33, 38
• 32. Leviticus 19:18
• 33. Deuteronomy 23:3-6
• 34. Luke 6:27; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; Romans 12:20
• 35. Matthew 5:9; Luke 6:35; Acts 14:17
• 36. Luke 6:32
• 37. Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 18:13; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Philippians 3:12-15

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "it was said to the ancients"
• [b]. Or "guilty before"
• [c]. Or "liable to"
• [d]. Or "empty-head;" Gr "Raka (Raca)" fr Aram "reqa"
• [e]. Or "liable to"
• [f]. Lit "the Sanhedrin"
• [g]. Or "liable to"
• [h]. Lit "Gehenna of fire"
• [i]. Or "gift"
• [j]. Or "gift"
• [k]. Or "gift"
• [l]. Lit "quadrans" (equaling two mites); i.e. 1/64 of a daily wage
• [m]. I.e. sin
• [n]. Lit "that one...be lost"
• [o]. Lit "not your whole body"
• [p]. Gr "Gehenna"
• [q]. I.e. sin
• [r]. Lit "that one...be lost"
• [s]. Lit "not your whole body"
• [t]. Gr "Gehenna"
• [u]. Or "sends away"
• [v]. Or "sent away"
• [w]. Lit "it was said to the ancients"
• [x]. "you" and "your" are singular here
• [y]. Or "break your vows"
• [z]. Lit "oaths"
• [aa]. Or "toward"
• [ab]. Or "from the evil one"
• [ac]. Lit "tunic;" i.e. a garment worn next to the body
• [ad]. Lit "cloak;" i.e. an outer garment
• [ae]. Lit "will force"
• [af]. Or "show yourselves to be"
• [ag]. Lit "you shall be"