Gospel according to Matthew 7

¹ ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged;

² because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get, and the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given.

³ Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own?

⁴ How dare you say to your brother, “Let me take the splinter out of your eye”, when all the time there is a plank in your own?

⁵ Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

⁶ ‘Do not give dogs what is holy;[*a] and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.

⁷ ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

⁸ For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him.

⁹ Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread?

¹⁰ Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish?

¹¹ If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

¹² ‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.

¹³ ‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it;

¹⁴ but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

¹⁵ ‘Beware of false prophets[*b] who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves.

¹⁶ You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

¹⁷ In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit.

¹⁸ A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit.

¹⁹ Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire.

²⁰ I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.

²¹ ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord”, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

²² When the day[*c] comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?”

²³ Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!’

²⁴ ‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.

²⁵ Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock.

²⁶ But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.

²⁷ Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

²⁸ Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people

²⁹ because he taught them with authority, and not like their own scribes.[*d]