CHRIST'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT

: Selections From The Bible
: Types Of Children's Literature

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was

set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught

them, saying:



Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are

the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do

hunger and thirst after righteousness: for t
ey shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the

pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for

they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are

persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of

heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for

so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.



Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor,

wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but

to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light

of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do

men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;

and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so

shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your

Father which is in heaven.



Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not

come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven

and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the

law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of

these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called

the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach

them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I

say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the

righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter

into the kingdom of heaven.



Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not

kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But

I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a

cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to

his brother, "Raca," shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever

shall say, "Thou fool," shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if

thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy

brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar,

and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and

offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in

the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the

judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into

prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence,

till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.



Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou

shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine

oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it

is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by

Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou

swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is

more than these cometh of evil.



Ye have heard that it hath been said. An eye for an eye, and a tooth

for a tooth; but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever

shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if

any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have

thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with

him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow

of thee turn not thou away.



Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and

hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them

that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which

despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of

your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the

evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even

the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye

more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore

perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.



Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:

otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before

thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that

they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their

reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy

right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father

which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.



And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for

they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the

streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have

their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and

when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;

and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when

ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think

that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore

like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of,

before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father

which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will

be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not

into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men

their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye

forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your

trespasses.



Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance:

for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.

Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou

fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not

unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy

Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.



Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust

doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for

yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth

corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where

your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body

is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be

full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full

of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how

great is that darkness!



No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love

the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye

cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought

for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for

your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and

the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not,

neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father

feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking

thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for

raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil

not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in

all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so

clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast

into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we

drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things

do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have

need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his

righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take

therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought

for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.



Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye

shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to

you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's

eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt

thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;

and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out

the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast

out the mote out of thy brother's eye.



Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls

before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again

and rend you.



Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it

shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he

that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or

what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a

stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then,

being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much

more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that

ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to

you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.



Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the

way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in

thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which

leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.



Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but

inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good

tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil

fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt

tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good

fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits

ye shall know them.



Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the

kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in

heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not

prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in

thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them,

I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.



Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I

will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and

the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat

upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And

every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall

be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and

the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat

upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.



And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people

were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one having

authority, and not as the scribes.



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