New King James Version

English Standard Version

The Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

The Sermon on the Mount

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

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Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

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The Beatitudes

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

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“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.

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“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

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Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the [a]earth.

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“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.

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“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

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Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.

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“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

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Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.

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“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

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Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

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“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sonsa of God.

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Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

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“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

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Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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Believers Are Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

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Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth, but 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.

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“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

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Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

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Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

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Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

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In the same way, let your light shine before others, so thatb they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

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Christ Fulfills the Law

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

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Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

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For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one [b]jot or one [c]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

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For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

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Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

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For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

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Murder Begins in the Heart

“You have heard that it was said to those [d]of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

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Anger

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’

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But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother [e]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’[f] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [g]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [h]hell fire.

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But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brotherc will be liable to judgment; whoever insultsd his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the helle of fire.

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Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

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So if you 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 your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

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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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Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

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Come 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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Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

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Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.f

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Adultery in the Heart

“You have heard that it was said [i]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

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Lust

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

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But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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If your right eye causes you to [j]sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

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If your right eye causes 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 hell.

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And if your right hand causes you to [k]sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

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And if your right hand causes 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 hell.

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Marriage Is Sacred and Binding

“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

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Divorce

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

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But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except [l]sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

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But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

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Jesus Forbids Oaths

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of [m]old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’

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Oaths

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’

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But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

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But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

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nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

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or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

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Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

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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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But let [n]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

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Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.g

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Go the Second Mile

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

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Retaliation

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

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But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

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But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

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If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.

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And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,h let him have your cloak as well.

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And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

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And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

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

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Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

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Love Your Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

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Love Your Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

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[o]But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

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But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

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that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

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so 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 sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

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

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For 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 your [p]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the [q]tax collectors do so?

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And if you greet only your brothers,i what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

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Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

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You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Parallel

New King James Version

English Standard Version

Matthew 5

Matthew 5