Matthew 7
Do Not Judge
1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.s2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.t3 Whyt do you see the specks in your brother’s eye, but fail to seet the beam of woods in your own?4 Or how can you sayt to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.t
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Asks and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the doort will be opened for you.8 For everyone who askss receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 Ist there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?s11 If you then, although you are evil,t know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good giftss to those who ask him!
12 Int everything, treat others as you would want themt to treat you,s for this fulfillst the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate
13 “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.s16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gatheredt from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?s17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the badt tree bears bad fruit.18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
Judgment of Pretenders
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’s will enter into the kingdom of heaven – 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, and in your name cast out demons and dot many powerful deeds?’
23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’t
Hearing and Doing
24 “Everyonet who hears these words of mine and does them is liket a wise mant who built his house on rock.25 The rain fell, the floodt came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock.26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!”t
28 Whent Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching,
29 because he taught them like one who had authority,s not like their experts in the law.t
MATTHEW 7
Judging Others
(Luke 6.37,38,41,42)
1 Don't condemn others, and God won't condemn you.
2 t God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them.
3 You can see the speck in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the log in your own eye. 4 How can you say, “My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye,” when you don't see the log in your own eye?
5 You're nothing but show-offs! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend's eye.
6 Don't give to dogs what belongs to God. They will only turn and attack you. Don't throw pearls down in front of pigs. They will trample all over them.Ask, Search, Knock
(Luke 11.9-13)
7 t Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.
8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.
9 Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? 10 Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish?
11 As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.
12 t Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophetst are all about.The Narrow Gate
(Luke 13.24)
13 t Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate.
14 But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.A Tree and Its Fruit
(Luke 6.43-45)
15 Watch out for false prophets! They dress up like sheep, but inside they are wolves who have come to attack you. 16 t You can tell what they are by what they do. No one picks grapes or figs from thornbushes. 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 t Every tree producing bad fruit will be chopped down and burned.
20 t You can tell who the false prophets are by their deeds.A Warning
(Luke 13.26,27)
21 Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in. 22 On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, “We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles.”
23 t But I will tell them, “I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!”Two Builders
(Luke 6.47-49)
24 Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock.
25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.
26 Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn't obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand.
27 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash.
28 t When Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were surprised at his teaching. 29 He taught them like someone with authority, and not like their teachers of the Law of Moses.