Matthew 7

Do Not Judge

¹“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.^{a 2}For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.^{b 3}Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?^{c 4}Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? ⁵Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye. ⁶Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs,^d or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Search, Knock

⁷“Ask,^e and it will be given to you.^f Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door^g will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds,^h and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you then, who are evil,ⁱ know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him. ¹²Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.^j

Entering the Kingdom

¹³“Enter through the narrow gate.^k For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,^l and there are many who go through it. ¹⁴How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

¹⁵“Be on your guard against false prophets^m who come to you in sheep’sⁿ clothing^o but inwardly are ravaging wolves.^{p 16}You’ll recognize them by their fruit.^q Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?^{r 17}In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.^{s 20}So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.^t

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,^u but only the one who does the will^v of my Father in heaven.^{w 22}On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons^x in your name, and do many miracles in your name? ’^{y 23}Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’^z,^aa,^ab

The Two Foundations

²⁴“Therefore,^ac everyone who hears these words^ad of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, ^ae the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ^{af 29}because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.