< Matthew 7 >
1 Do not criticize, that ye may not be criticized.
2 For by what criticism ye criticize, ye will be criticized, and by what measure ye measure, it will be measured to you.
3 And why do thou see the speck in thy brother's eye, but do not notice the beam in thine own eye?
4 Or how will thou say to thy brother, Let me take out the speck from thine eye, and behold, the beam in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first take out the beam from thine own eye, and then thou will see clearly to take out the speck from thy brother's eye.
6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them by their feet, and having turn back may lacerate you.
7 Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and ye will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For every man who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son may ask for bread, will give him a stone,
10 and if he may ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11 If ye therefore, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father in the heavens will give good things to those who ask him?
12 All things therefore, as many as ye may want that men should do to you, so also do ye to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate, because wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many are they who enter through it.
14 How narrow is the gate, and restricted the way, that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
15 But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are predatory wolves.
16 From their fruits ye will know them. Do they gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree produces good fruits, but the corrupt tree produces bad fruits.
18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruits, nor a corrupt tree produce good fruits.
19 Every tree not producing good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.
20 So then from their fruits ye will know them.
21 Not every man who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of my Father in the heavens.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?
23 And then I will profess to them, I never acknowledged you. Depart from me, ye who work lawlessness.
24 Therefore every man, whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will compare him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock.
25 And the rain descended, and the torrents came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it had been founded upon the rock.
26 And every man who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be compared to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand.
27 And the rain descended, and the torrents came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell. And great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus finished these sayings, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,
29 for he was teaching them as having authority, and not as their scholars.