| From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” | From that day forward Jesus began to proclaim the message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” |
| “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” | He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” |
|
| Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. | Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. |
| Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. | Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will have their fill. |
| Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. | Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God. |
| Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. | Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. |
| Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. |
| Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. | Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and utter all kinds of calumnies against you for my sake. |
| You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. | You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, what can be done to make it salty once again? It is no longer good for anything, and thus it is cast out and trampled underfoot. |
| You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. | You are the light of the world. A city built upon a mountain cannot be hidden. |
| Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. | Nor would someone light a lamp and then put it under a basket; rather, it is placed upon a lampstand so that it may afford light to all in the house. In the same way, your light must shine so that it can be seen by others; this will enable them to observe your good works and give praise to your Father in heaven. |
| 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. | Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill them. |
| For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. | Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single letter, not even a tiny portion of a letter, will disappear from the Law until all things have been accomplished. |
| Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. | Therefore, whoever breaks even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever observes these commandments and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. |
| You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. | You have heard that it was said of old: ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that anyone who looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart. |
| If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. | If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is preferable for you to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. |
| But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. | But what I tell you is this: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, since it is God’s throne, or by earth, since that is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great King. |
| All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. | All you need to do is to say ‘Yes’ if you mean ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ if you mean ‘No.’ Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. |
| But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. | But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. |
| Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. | Therefore, strive to be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. |
| So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. | Therefore, whenever you give alms, do not trumpet your generosity, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets in order to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have already received their reward. |
| But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. | But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Your almsgiving must be done in secret. And your Father who sees everything that is done in secret will reward you. |
| But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. | But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees everything that is done in secret will reward you. |
| And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. | When you pray do not go on babbling endlessly as the pagans do, for they believe that they are more likely to be heard because of their many words. |
| This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ | This is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ |
