Matthew 7
1 “Do not talk about how sinfully others have acted, in order that God will not say how sinfully you have acted.
Judge not, that you be not judged.
2 If you condemn [other people], [God] will condemn you. To the same extent that you condemn others, you will be condemned {[God] will condemn you}.
For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 (None of you should be concerned [about someone else’s small faults] [MET]!/Why should any of you be concerned [about someone else’s small faults]?) [MET, RHQ] [That would be like noticing] a speck in that person’s eye. But you should [be concerned about your own big faults. They are like] [MET] planks in your own eye, which you do not notice.
And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?
4 (You should not say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes!’/Why do you say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes?’) [RHQ] [You should not say that] if a plank is still in your own eye [MET].
Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, [stop committing your own sins! That will be like] removing the plank from your own eye [MET]. Then, as a result, you will be able to perceive things spiritually so that you can help other people get rid of the [faults] [MET] [that are like] specks in their eyes.”
You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brother’s eye.
6 “You do not give holy things to dogs [that would ignore those things] and attack you [CHI]. You do not throw pearls in front of hogs, [because they would just ignore them] and trample them. [Similarly], do not give [precious spiritual truth to people you know will not value it but instead will do evil things to you].”
Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 “Keep asking [God for what you need]. If you do that, [he] will give it to you. Confidently keep [expecting God to give you the things that you need, and he will give them to you. It will be like] [MET] looking for what you need and finding it. Keep on [praying persistently to God. Then God will answer you. It will be like] [MET] knocking [on a door in order to enter a room]. And the way will be opened {[God] will open the way} for you [to get what you pray for].
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you:
8 Remember that [God] will give things to everyone who continues to ask [him for them]. [He] will give things to whoever confidently keeps asking. [He] will open [the way] for people [to get the things that they keep persistently praying for].
For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
9 (No man among you would give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread./Would anyone among you give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread?) [RHQ]
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Likewise, (no man would give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish./would anyone give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish?) [RHQ]
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 You, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children. So [God], your Father who is in heaven, will certainly give good things to the people who ask him.”
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 “So in whatever way you want others to act toward you [(pl)], that is the way you [(pl)] should act toward them, because that [sums up what Moses wrote in] the laws [that God gave him] and [also what] the prophets [wrote long ago].”
Therefore all things whatever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13 “[Going to] where people live eternally [with God in heaven] is difficult. [It is like] going along a narrow road [PRS, MET] that leads to a narrow gate. Not many people find that way. [The way] that most [people take] is easy, [but it results in their being punished] {[God punishing them]} [in hell. That way is like a] wide road that people walk on [PRS, MET] until they reach the wide gate, but that road and that gate lead to where [they] will be destroyed {[God] will destroy them}. Many people enter that gate. So I [am telling you to leave the wide road and] enter the narrow gate [to heaven].” (questioned)
Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.
15 “Beware of people who come to you and say falsely that they are telling you [what God has said]. [They seem to be harmless, but they are extremely harmful. They are like] wolves that have covered themselves with sheepskins [to make people believe that they are sheep] [MET], but they actually are wolves that attack people [MET].
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 [So how will you know that they are false?] Well, by seeing what plants produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are [MET]. [For example, thornbushes cannot produce grapes], so (no one can pick grapes from thornbushes./can anyone pick grapes from thornbushes?) [RHQ] And [thistles cannot produce figs], so (no one can pick figs from thistles./can anyone pick figs from thistles?) [RHQ]
You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 [Here is another example]: All good fruit trees produce good fruit, but all unhealthy trees produce worthless fruit.
Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.
18 No good fruit tree is able to produce worthless fruit, and no unhealthy tree is able to produce good fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 [And] all the trees that do not produce good fruit are chopped down and burned in a fire {people chop them down and burn them in a fire} [to get rid of them]. [Similarly], those who falsely claim to be prophets [will be thrown] {[God will throw false prophets]} [into the fires of hell]. (questioned)
Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 By seeing [what plants] produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are. [Similarly, when you see what the people who come to you do], [you will know if they are false prophets].”
Why by their fruits you shall know them.
21 “[Even though many] people [habitually] call me ‘Lord’, [pretending that they have my authority], some of them will not go to heaven where God rules, [because they do not do what he desires]. [Only] those people who do what my Father, who is in heaven, desires [will go there].
Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 On the day [MTY] [that God judges everyone], many [people, trying to tell me that they deserve to go to heaven], will say to me, ‘Lord, we(exc) spoke God’s message as your representatives [MTY, RHQ]! As your representatives we(exc) expelled demons from [people] [RHQ]! And as your representatives, many times we(exc) performed miracles [RHQ]!’
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works?
23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I have never said that you belonged to me. Go away from me, you who do what is evil!’”
And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
24 “So then, anyone who hears what I say and does what I command, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, which built his house on a rock:
25 [Even though] the rain came down and the river flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it did not fall down because it had been built {he built it} on a solid foundation.
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell not: for it was founded on a rock.
26 On the other hand, anyone who hears what I say but does not obey what I say will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, which built his house on the sand:
27 When the rain fell and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it crashed down and broke completely apart, [because it was built on the sand. So it is important for you to obey what I teach you].”
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 When Jesus finished saying all those things, the [who had been listening to him were] amazed at the [new] teaching that he had taught them.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 The reason they were amazed was that he was teaching as a person does who has authority. He was not teaching like the men who taught the [Jewish] laws, [who just repeated what other people had taught them].
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
