1 “ Do not say what is wrong in other people’s lives. Then other people will not say what is wrong in your life.

Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.

2 Y ou will be guilty of the same things you find in others. When you say what is wrong in others, your words will be used to say what is wrong in you.

For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

3 W hy do you look at the small piece of wood in your brother’s eye, and do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye?

Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother’s eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye?

4 H ow can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that small piece of wood out of your eye,’ when there is a big piece of wood in your own eye?

Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye?

5 Y ou who pretend to be someone you are not, first take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you can see better to take the small piece of wood out of your brother’s eye.

You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother’s eye.

6 “ Do not give that which belongs to God to dogs. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs. They will break them under their feet. Then they will turn and tear you to pieces. Jesus Teaches about Prayer

Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.

7 “ Ask, and what you are asking for will be given to you. Look, and what you are looking for you will find. Knock, and the door you are knocking on will be opened to you.

Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and will be opened to you.

8 E veryone who asks receives what he asks for. Everyone who looks finds what he is looking for. Everyone who knocks has the door opened to him.

For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, will be opened.

9 W hat man among you would give his son a stone if he should ask for bread?

Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone?

10 O r if he asks for a fish, would he give him a snake?

Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent?

11 Y ou are bad and you know how to give good things to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him? Jesus Teaches about Others

If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!

12 “ Do for other people whatever you would like to have them do for you. This is what the Jewish Law and the early preachers said. Jesus Teaches about Two Roads

So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets.

13 “ Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door.

Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.

14 B ut the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it. Jesus Teaches about False Teachers

But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.

15 “ Watch out for false teachers. They come to you dressed as if they were sheep. On the inside they are hungry wolves.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.

16 Y ou will know them by their fruit. Do men pick grapes from thorns? Do men pick figs from thistles?

You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

17 I t is true, every good tree has good fruit. Every bad tree has bad fruit.

Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit '> worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit.

18 A good tree cannot have bad fruit. A bad tree cannot have good fruit.

A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear excellent fruit.

19 E very tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

20 S o you will know them by their fruit.

Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.

21 N ot everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will go into the holy nation of heaven. The one who does the things My Father in heaven wants him to do will go into the holy nation of heaven.

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.

22 M any people will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not preach in Your Name? Did we not put out demons in Your Name? Did we not do many powerful works in Your Name?’

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?

23 T hen I will say to them in plain words, ‘I never knew you. Go away from Me, you who do wrong!’ Jesus Teaches about Houses Built on Rock or Sand

And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly.

24 “ Whoever hears these words of Mine and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them will be like a sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.

25 T he rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house did not fall because it was built on rock.

And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

26 W hoever hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.

27 T he rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house fell and broke apart.”

And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was the fall of it.

28 T hen Jesus finished talking. The people were surprised and wondered about His teaching.

When Jesus had finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His teaching,

29 H e was teaching them as One Who has the right and the power to teach. He did not teach as the teachers of the Law.

For He was teaching as One Who had authority, and not as the scribes.