1 So when he saw the crowds, he went up the hill and sat down; his disciples came up to him 2 and he opened his lips and began to teach them. He said:
3 "Blessed are those who feel poor in spirit! the Realm of heaven is theirs. 4 Blessed are the mourners! they will be consoled. 5 Blessed are the humble! they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for goodness! they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful! they will find mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart! they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers! they will be ranked sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of goodness! the Realm of heaven is theirs.
11 Blessed are you when men denounce you and persecute you and utter all manner of evil against you for my sake; 12 rejoice and exult in it, for your reward is rich in heaven; that is how they persecuted the prophets before you.
13 You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes insipid, what can make it salt again? After that it is fit for nothing, fit only to be thrown outside and trodden by the feet of men.
14 You are the light of the world. A town on the top of a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp to put it under a bowl; they put it on a stand and it shines for all in the house. 16 So your light is to shine before men, that they may see the good you do and glorify your Father in heaven.
17 Do not imagine I have come to destroy the Law or the prophets; I have not come to destroy but to fulfil. 18 (I tell you truly, till heaven and earth pass away not an iota, not a comma, will pass from the Law until it is all in force. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes a single one of these commands, were it even one of the least, and teaches men so, he will be ranked least in the Realm of heaven; but whoever obeys them and teaches them, he will be ranked great in the Realm of heaven.) 20 For I tell you, unless your goodness excels that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Realm of heaven.
21 You have heard how the men of old were told, 'Murder not: whoever murders must come up for sentence, 22 whoever maligns his brother must come before the San hedrin, whoever curses his brother must go to the fire of Gehenna.' But I tell you, whoever is angry with his brother [without cause] will be sentenced by God. 23 So if you remember, even when offering your gift at the altar, that your brother has any grievance against you, 24 leave your gift at the very altar and go away; first be reconciled to your brother, then come back and offer your gift. 25 Be quick and make terms with your opponent, so long as you and he are on the way to court, in case he hands you over to the judge, and the judge to the jailer, and you are thrown into prison; 26 truly I tell you, you will never get out till you pay the last halfpenny of your debt.
27 You have heard how it used to be said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, any one who even looks with lust at a woman has committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 If your right eye is a hindrance to you, pluck it out and throw it away: better for you to lose one of your members than to have all your body thrown into Gehenna. 30 And if your right hand is a hindrance to you, cut it off and throw it away: better for you to lose one of your members than to have all your body thrown into Gehenna.
31 It used to be said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a divorce-certificate. 32 But I tell you, anyone who divorces his wife for any reason except unchastity makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 Once again, you have heard how the men of old were told, 'You must not forswear yourself but discharge your vows to the Lord'. 34 But I tell you, you must not swear any oath, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 nor by earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; 36 nor shall you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'yes' or 'no'; whatever exceeds that springs from evil.
38 You have heard the saying, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I tell you, you are not to resist an injury: whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well; 40 whoever wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well; 41 whoever forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him; 42 give to the man who begs from you, and turn not away from him who wants to borrow.
43 You have heard the saying, 'You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven: he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love only those who love you, what reward do you get for that? do not the very taxgatherers do as much? 47 and if you only salute your friends, what is special about that? do not the very pagans do as much? 48 You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.