The Word Am I

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

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- Chapter 5 -

1
And having seen the multitudes, He went up to the mountain, and He having sat down, His disciples came to Him,
2
and having opened His mouth, He was teaching them, saying,

The Beatitudes

(Psalm 1:1–6; Luke 6:20–23)
3
“Blessed the poor in spirit—because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
4
Blessed the mourning—because they will be comforted.
5
Blessed the meek—because they will inherit the land.
6
Blessed those hungering and thirsting for righteousness—because they will be filled.
7
Blessed the kind—because they will find kindness.
8
Blessed the clean in heart—because they will see God.
9
Blessed the peacemakers—because they will be called sons of God.
10
Blessed those persecuted for righteousness’ sake—because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
11
Blessed are you whenever they may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you falsely for My sake—
12
rejoice and be glad, because your reward [is] great in the heavens, for thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

(Mark 9:49–50; Luke 14:34–35; Philippians 2:12–18)
13
You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt may lose savor, in what will it be salted? It is good for nothing from now on, except to be cast outside, and to be trodden down by men.
14
You are the light of the world, a city set on a mountain is not able to be hid;
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nor do they light a lamp and put it under the measure, but on the lampstand, and it shines to all those in the house;
16
so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who [is] in the heavens.

The Fulfillment of the Law

17
Do not suppose that I came to throw down the Law or the Prophets—I did not come to throw down, but to fulfill;
18
for truly I say to you, until the heaven and the earth may pass away, one iota or one tittle may not pass away from the Law, until all may come to pass.
19
Therefore whoever may loose one of these commands—the least—and may teach men so, he will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens, but whoever may do and may teach [them], he will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
20
For I say to you that if your righteousness may not abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, you may not enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

Anger and Reconciliation

(Luke 12:57–59)
21
You heard that it was said to the ancients: You will not murder, and whoever may murder will be in danger of the judgment;
22
but I say to you that everyone who is angry at his brother without cause will be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Stupid, will be in danger of the Sanhedrin, and whoever may say, Moron, will be in danger of the Gehenna of fire.
23
If, therefore, you may bring your gift to the altar, and there may remember that your brother has anything against you,
24
leave there your gift before the altar, and go—first be reconciled to your brother, and then having come, bring your gift.
25
Be agreeing with your opponent quickly, while you are in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge may deliver you to the officer, and you may be cast into prison;
26
truly I say to you, you may not come forth from there until you may pay the last penny.

Adultery

(Leviticus 18:1–30)
27
You heard that it was said to the ancients: You will not commit adultery;
28
but I say to you that everyone who is looking on a woman to desire her, already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29
But if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast from you, for it is good to you that one of your members may perish, and not your whole body be cast into Gehenna.
30
And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast from you, for it is good to you that one of your members may perish, and not your whole body be cast into Gehenna.

Divorce

(Deuteronomy 24:1–5; Luke 16:18)
31
And it was said that, Whoever may put away his wife, let him give to her a writing of divorce;
32
but I say to you that whoever may put away his wife, except for the matter of whoredom, makes her to commit adultery; and whoever may marry her who has been put away commits adultery.

Oaths and Vows

(Numbers 30:1–16)
33
Again, you heard that it was said to the ancients: You will not swear falsely, but you will pay to the LORD your oaths;
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but I say to you not to swear at all; neither by Heaven, because it is the throne of God,
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nor by the earth, because it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is [the] city of [the] great King,
36
nor may you swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black;
37
but let your word be, Yes, Yes, No, No, and that which is more than these is of the evil [one].

Love Your Enemies

(Leviticus 24:17–23; Luke 6:27–36)
38
You heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth;
39
but I say to you not to resist the evil, but whoever will slap you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other;
40
and whoever is willing to take you to law, and to take your coat—also permit to him the cloak.
41
And whoever will impress you one mile, go with him two;
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to him who is asking of you be giving, and him who is willing to borrow from you, you may not turn away.
43
You heard that it was said: You will love your neighbor, and will hate your enemy;
44
but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you,
45
that you may be sons of your Father in the heavens, because He causes His sun to rise on evil and good, and He sends rain on righteous and unrighteous.
46
For if you may love those loving you, what reward do you have? Do the tax collectors not also do the same?
47
And if you may greet your brothers only, what do you do abundant? Do the nations not also do so?
48
You will therefore be perfect, as your Father who [is] in the heavens is perfect.”
Copyright © 2020 Covenant Press and the CCC - licensed under CC BY-SA
1
Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
2
He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

The Beatitudes

(Psalm 1:1–6; Luke 6:20–23)
3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (a)
4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (b)
5
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. (c) (d)
6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
10
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
11
“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12
Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

(Mark 9:49–50; Luke 14:34–35; Philippians 2:12–18)
13
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
14
You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.
15
Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.
16
Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

17
“Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18
For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter (e) or one tiny pen stroke (f) shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
19
Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Anger and Reconciliation

(Luke 12:57–59)
21
“You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ (g) and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
22
But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause (h) will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ (i) will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. (j)
23
“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,
24
leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25
Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.
26
Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny. (k)

Adultery

(Leviticus 18:1–30)
27
“You have heard that it was said, (l) ‘You shall not commit adultery;’ (m)
28
but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29
If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. (n)
30
If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. (o)

Divorce

(Deuteronomy 24:1–5; Luke 16:18)
31
“It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’ (p)
32
but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

Oaths and Vows

(Numbers 30:1–16)
33
“Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’ (q)
34
but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
35
nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36
Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black.
37
But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

Love Your Enemies

(Leviticus 24:17–23; Luke 6:27–36)
38
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ (r)
39
But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40
If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.
41
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42
Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.
43
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (s) and hate your enemy.’ (t)
44
But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
45
that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
46
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
47
If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors (u) do the same?
48
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Footnotes

(a)5:3 ℘ Isaiah 57:15; 66:2
(b)5:4 ℘ Isaiah 61:2; 66:10,13
(c)5:5 or, land.
(d)5:5 ℘ Psalms 37:11
(e)5:18 literally, iota
(f)5:18 or, serif
(g)5:21 ℘ Exodus 20:13
(h)5:22 NU omits “without a cause”.
(i)5:22 “Raca” is an Aramaic insult, related to the word for “empty” and conveying the idea of empty-headedness.
(j)5:22 or, Hell
(k)5:26 literally, kodrantes. A kodrantes was a small copper coin worth about 2 lepta (widow’s mites)—not enough to buy very much of anything.
(l)5:27 TR adds “to the ancients”.
(m)5:27 ℘ Exodus 20:14
(n)5:29 or, Hell
(o)5:30 or, Hell
(p)5:31 ℘ Deuteronomy 24:1
(q)5:33 ℘ Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:4
(r)5:38 ℘ Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
(s)5:43 ℘ Leviticus 19:18
(t)5:43 not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26
(u)5:47 NU reads “Gentiles” instead of “tax collectors”.
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