Holman Christian Standard Bible (283 page)

Go the Second Mile

38
 “You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye
and
a tooth for a tooth.
39
 But I tell you, don't resist
 
an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 
40
 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt,
 
let him have your coat
 
as well.
41
 And if anyone forces
 
you to go one mile, go with him two.
42
 Give to the one who asks you, and don't turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
 

Love Your Enemies

43
 “You have heard that it was said,
Love your neighbor
and hate your enemy.
44
 But I tell you, love your enemies
 
and pray for those who
 
persecute you, 
45
 so that you may be
 
sons of your Father 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 will you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?
47
 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary?
Don't even the Gentiles
 
do the same?
48
 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew

How to Give

6
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness
 
in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2
 So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the
•synagogues
and on the streets, to be applauded by people.
•I assure you
: They've got their reward!
 
3
 But when you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4
 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

How to Pray

5
 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They've got their reward!
 
6
 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7
 When you pray, don't babble like the idolaters,
 
since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. 
8
 Don't be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.
 

The Model Prayer

9
 “Therefore, you should pray like this:
 

14
 “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing,
 
your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 
15
 But if you don't forgive people,
 
your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.
 

How to Fast

16
 “Whenever you fast, don't be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive
so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They've got their reward!
17
 But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, 
18
 so that you don't show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
 

God and Possessions

19
 “Don't collect for yourselves treasures
 
on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 
20
 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal.
21
 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22
 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23
 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness — how deep is that darkness!
 

24
 “No one can be a
•slave
of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.
 

The Cure for Anxiety

25
 “This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? 
26
 Look at the birds of the sky: They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? 
27
 Can any of you add a single
•cubit
to his height
 
by worrying?
28
 And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don't labor or spin thread.
29
 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these!
30
 If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't He do much more for you — you of little faith? 
31
 So don't worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ' or ‘What will we drink? ' or ‘What will we wear? '
32
 For the idolaters
 
eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33
 But seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 
34
 Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew

Do Not Judge

7
“Do not judge, so that you won't be judged. 
2
 For with the judgment you use,
 
you will be judged, and with the measure you use,
 
it will be measured to you. 
3
 Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye? 
4
 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and look, there's a log in your eye?
5
 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
6
 Don't give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.

Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking

7
 “Keep asking,
and it will be given to you. Keep searching,
 
and you will find. Keep knocking,
 
and the door
 
will be opened to you.
8
 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door
 
will be opened.
9
 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10
 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11
 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12
 Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them — this is the Law and the Prophets.

Entering the Kingdom

15
 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 
16
 You'll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 
17
 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.
18
 A good tree can't produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19
 Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 
20
 So you'll recognize them by their fruit.
 

21
 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord! ' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 
22
 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name? ' 
23
 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you!
Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!
'
, 

The Two Foundations

28
 When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, 
29
 because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their
•scribes
.

Matthew

A Man Cleansed

8
When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.
2
 Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me
•clean
.”

3
 Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying,
“I am willing; be made clean.”
Immediately his disease was healed. 
4
 Then Jesus told him,
“See that you don't tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.”
 

A Centurion's Faith

5
 When He entered Capernaum, a
•centurion
came to Him, pleading with Him,
6
 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony! ”

7
 “I will come and heal him,”
He told him.

8
 “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. 
9
 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go! ' and he goes; and to another, ‘Come! ' and he comes; and to my
•slave
, ‘Do this! ' and he does it.”

10
 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him,
“
•I assure you
: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith!
11
 I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 
12
 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
 
13
 Then Jesus told the centurion,
“Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.”
And his servant was cured that very moment. 

Healings at Capernaum

14
 When Jesus went into Peter's house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
15
 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him.
16
 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, 
17
 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

Following Jesus

18
 When Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. 
19
 A
•scribe
approached Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go! ”