Matthew 5:21-48, Additional Reading Isaiah 57

Wednesday, February 26, 2025
 

Personal Relationships

21 “You have heard that [a]the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be [b]liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be [c]guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘[d]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be [e]guilty before [f]the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be [g]guilty enough to go into the [h]fiery hell. 23 Therefore if you are presenting your [i]offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your [j]offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your [k]offering. 25 Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last [l]cent.

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you [m]stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you [n]to lose one of the parts of your body, [o]than for your whole body to be thrown into [p]hell. 30 If your right hand makes you [q]stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you [r]to lose one of the parts of your body, [s]than for your whole body to go into [t]hell.

31 “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 but I say to you that everyone who [u]divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a [v]divorced woman commits adultery.

33 “Again, you have heard that [w]the ancients were told, ‘[x]You shall not [y]make false vows, but shall fulfill your [z]vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or [aa]by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is [ab]of evil.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your [ac]shirt, let him have your [ad]coat also. 41 Whoever [ae]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [af]be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore [ag]you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:21 Lit it was said to the ancients
  2. Matthew 5:21 Or guilty before
  3. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  4. Matthew 5:22 Or empty-head; Gr Raka (Raca) fr Aram reqa
  5. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  6. Matthew 5:22 Lit the Sanhedrin
  7. Matthew 5:22 Or liable to
  8. Matthew 5:22 Lit Gehenna of fire
  9. Matthew 5:23 Or gift
  10. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  11. Matthew 5:24 Or gift
  12. Matthew 5:26 Lit quadrans (equaling two mites); i.e. 1/64 of a daily wage
  13. Matthew 5:29 I.e. sin
  14. Matthew 5:29 Lit that one...be lost
  15. Matthew 5:29 Lit not your whole body
  16. Matthew 5:29 Gr Gehenna
  17. Matthew 5:30 I.e. sin
  18. Matthew 5:30 Lit that one...be lost
  19. Matthew 5:30 Lit not your whole body
  20. Matthew 5:30 Gr Gehenna
  21. Matthew 5:32 Or sends away
  22. Matthew 5:32 Or sent away
  23. Matthew 5:33 Lit it was said to the ancients
  24. Matthew 5:33 you and your are singular here
  25. Matthew 5:33 Or break your vows
  26. Matthew 5:33 Lit oaths
  27. Matthew 5:35 Or toward
  28. Matthew 5:37 Or from the evil one
  29. Matthew 5:40 Lit tunic; i.e. a garment worn next to the body
  30. Matthew 5:40 Lit cloak; i.e. an outer garment
  31. Matthew 5:41 Lit will force
  32. Matthew 5:45 Or show yourselves to be
  33. Matthew 5:48 Lit you shall be
 
 

Evil Leaders Rebuked

57 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart;
And devout men are taken away, while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from evil,
2 He enters into peace;
They rest in their [a]beds,
Each one who walked in his upright way.
3 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress,
Offspring of an adulterer and [b]a prostitute.
4 “Against whom do you jest?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of rebellion,
Offspring of deceit,
5 Who inflame yourselves among the [c]oaks,
Under every luxuriant tree,
Who slaughter the children in the [d]ravines,
Under the clefts of the crags?
6 “Among the [e]smooth stones of the [f]ravine
Is your portion, [g]they are your lot;
Even to them you have poured out a drink offering,
You have made a grain offering.
Shall I [h]relent concerning these things?
7 “Upon a high and lofty mountain
You have made your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 “Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your sign;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide.
And you have made an agreement for yourself with them,
You have loved their [i]bed,
You have looked on their [j]manhood.
9 “You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have sent your envoys a great distance
And made them go down to [k]Sheol.
10 “You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’
You found [l]renewed strength,
Therefore you did not [m]faint.

11 “Of whom were you worried and fearful
When you lied, and did not remember Me
[n]Nor give Me a thought?
Was I not silent even for a long time
So you do not fear Me?
12 “I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
But they will not profit you.
13 “When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry all of them up,
And a breath will take them away.
But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land
And will possess My holy mountain.”

14 And it will be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.”
15 For thus says the high and exalted One
Who [o]lives forever, whose name is Holy,
“I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 “For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the breath of those whom I have made.
17 “Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
18 “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
19 Creating the [p]praise of the lips.
Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 57:2 I.e. graves
  2. Isaiah 57:3 So ancient versions; Heb she prostitutes herself
  3. Isaiah 57:5 Or terebinths
  4. Isaiah 57:5 Or wadis
  5. Isaiah 57:6 I.e. symbols of fertility gods
  6. Isaiah 57:6 Or wadi
  7. Isaiah 57:6 Lit they, they
  8. Isaiah 57:6 Or repent
  9. Isaiah 57:8 Or lying down
  10. Isaiah 57:8 Lit hand
  11. Isaiah 57:9 I.e. the nether world
  12. Isaiah 57:10 Lit the life of your hand
  13. Isaiah 57:10 Or become sick
  14. Isaiah 57:11 Lit You did not set it upon your heart
  15. Isaiah 57:15 Or dwells in eternity
  16. Isaiah 57:19 Lit fruit of the lips

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