English Standard Version  
Chapter 3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘PrepareOr crying: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,
6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
10Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,Some manuscripts omit to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved with whom I am well pleased.”
Chapter 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple
6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
13And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
17From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
18While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
23And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
25And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Chapter 5
The Sermon on the Mount
1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sonsGreek huioi; see preface of God.
10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13“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.
14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17“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.
18For 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.
19Therefore 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.
20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brotherSome manuscripts insert without cause will be liable to judgment; whoever insultsGreek says Raca to (a term of abuse) his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hellGreek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30 of fire.
23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25Come 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.
26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.Greek kodrantes, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer)
Lust
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29If 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.
30And 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.
Divorce
31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
32But 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.
Oaths
33“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.’
34But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.Or the evil one
Retaliation
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
39But 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.
40And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin let him have your cloak as well.
41And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45so 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.
46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47And if you greet only your brothers,Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated &ldblquot;brothers&rdblquot;) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
 
 

LOADING .......