King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
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Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him,
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
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and he began to teach them:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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"Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
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"Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
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"Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised!
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
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"Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
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"Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
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"Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
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"Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children!
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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"Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
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"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 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
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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.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
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"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 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
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"You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
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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 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
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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.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
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"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 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
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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 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
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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 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
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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.
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
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"You have heard that people were told in the past, "Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.'
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
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But now I tell you: if you are angry with 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 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
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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 there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
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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 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
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"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 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
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There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
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"You have heard that it was said, "Do not commit adultery.'
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
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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 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
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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 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
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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.
31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
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"It was also said, "Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'
32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
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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.
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
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"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 I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
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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 the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
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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 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
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Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
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Just say "Yes' or "No' - anything else you say comes from the Evil One.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
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"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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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 any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
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And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
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And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
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When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
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"You have heard that it was said, "Love your friends, hate your enemies.'
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
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But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
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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 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
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Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that!
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
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And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that!
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
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You must be perfect - just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.