Matthew 7
7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your
brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck
out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own
eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 ‘Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your
pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and
tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you
will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks
finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 ‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give
him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN give good
gifts to those who ask him!
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them
do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 ‘Enter through THE NARROW GATE. For wide is the
gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through
it.
14 But small is THE GATE and narrow THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO LIFE, and
only a few find it.
True and False Prophets
15 ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people
pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad
tree bears bad fruit.
18 A GOOD TREE cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree
cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
True and False Disciples
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 WHO IS IN HEAVEN.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘LORD, LORD, did we
not prophesy in YOUR name and in YOUR name drive out demons and in YOUR name perform
many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away
from ME, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and
puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on THE ROCK.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds
blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its FOUNDATION on THE ROCK.
26 But everyone who hears these words of MINE and does not
put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds
blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’
28 When JESUS
had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at HIS teaching,
29 because HE TAUGHT AS ONE WHO HAD AUTHORITY, and not as their teachers of the law.”
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