Matthew 5

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

Seeing the crowd, he climbed a hill. Once settled, his followers approached him.

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

With a gentle voice, he began to share his wisdom, saying,

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

Those who feel spiritually empty are truly fortunate, for they will find their home in heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Those who grieve are truly fortunate, for they will find solace.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Fortunate are the humble, for they will be gifted with the world.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Fortunate are those who passionately seek fairness and truth, for they will find satisfaction.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Those who show kindness will receive kindness in return.

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

Those with untainted hearts are truly fortunate, for they will experience the divine presence of God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Those who create harmony are truly fortunate, for they will be recognized as God's own children.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who face hardship for doing what's right are truly fortunate, for they will be rewarded with heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Feel truly blessed when people insult, harass, or spread false rumors about you because of your faith in me.

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

Celebrate and feel immense joy, for your heavenly reward is vast. Remember, even the prophets before you faced persecution.

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.

You are the essence of the world. But if you lose your unique flavor, how can you regain it? Once lost, you become worthless, discarded and trampled upon by others.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

You are the beacon of hope in this world. Just like a city on a hill, your goodness cannot be hidden.

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.

People don't light a candle to hide it, but to place it high; so it can shine and brighten the entire home.

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

Radiate your inner goodness for all to see, so they can appreciate your deeds and praise your heavenly Father.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Don't assume that I'm here to dismantle the teachings of the law or the prophets. On the contrary, I'm here to complete and uphold them.

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.

Truly, I assure you, until the sky and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of the law will be overlooked until everything is accomplished.

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.

If you disregard even the smallest rule and teach others to do the same, you'll be the least in heaven. But if you follow and teach the rules, you'll be great in heaven.

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.

I tell you this, unless your goodness surpasses that of the religious leaders, you won't step foot in heaven.

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:

You've been told long ago, "Don't take a life." If you do, you'll face severe consequences.

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.

If you're unjustly angry with someone, you're inviting judgment. If you insult someone, you risk being called out. But if you call someone a fool, you're playing with fire, risking hell itself.

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

If you're about to offer a gift at the altar and suddenly remember that your brother is upset with you,

Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Before you present your gift at the altar, make peace with your sibling. Only then, return and offer your gift.

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.

Quickly find common ground with your opponent while you're still on speaking terms, because if not, they might drag you to court, and the judge might throw you in jail.

Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

I assure you, you won't be free until you've paid even the smallest debt.

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

You've been told long ago, "Don't cheat on your partner."

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

I tell you this, if you desire another man's wife in your heart, you've already been unfaithful.

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.

If something as precious as your right eye causes you harm, it's better to let it go. It's better to lose a part of you than to let your entire self suffer in torment.

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.

If something you're doing is leading you astray, stop it. It's better to lose one part of your life than to let your whole life be ruined.

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

It's been stated, if you must end your marriage, provide your wife with a written divorce.

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.

I tell you this: if a man divorces his wife for any reason other than her being unfaithful, he's setting her up to be unfaithful. And if someone marries a divorced woman, he's participating in adultery.

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:

You've been told long ago, never break your promises, but always keep your word to God.

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

I urge you, don't make any vows; not by the sky, for it's God's royal seat.

Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

Don't swear by the earth, it's merely God's resting place. And not by Jerusalem either, it's the majestic city of our mighty King.

Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Don't make promises on your own life, as you don't even have the power to change the color of a single hair on your head.

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Speak clearly and honestly; a simple 'yes' or 'no' is enough. Anything more can lead to trouble.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

You've been told, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," implying revenge is justified.

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.

I tell you, don't fight back against wrongs done to you. If someone hurts you, offer them another chance to make it right.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

If someone takes you to court and wins your shirt, don't hesitate to give them your jacket too.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

If someone forces you to walk a mile with them, willingly walk two miles instead.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Show kindness to those who seek your help, and don't deny those who wish to borrow from you.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

You've been told to love those close to you and despise your foes.

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;

I urge you, show kindness to those who oppose you, bless those who insult you, extend a helping hand to those who despise you, and keep in your prayers those who mistreat and oppress you.

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.

Be like your heavenly Father, who loves all. He lets the sun shine and rain fall on both the good and bad alike.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

If you only love those who love you, what's special about that? Even the most self-centered people do the same.

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

If you only show kindness to those you already know, how does that set you apart? Even those considered less righteous do the same.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Strive for perfection, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.