Sacred Texts Christianity Early Church Fathers Index Previous Next
[1] 686 Ye have heard also that it was said unto the ancients, Lie not, but perform unto [2] God in thy oaths: 687 but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it [3] is God’s throne; 688 nor by the earth, for it is a footstool under his feet; nor yet by [4] Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great 689 King. 690 Neither shalt thou swear by thy [5] head, for thou canst not make in it one lock of hair black or white. 691 But your word shall be either Yea or Nay, and what is in excess of this is of the evil one.
[6, 7] 692 Ye have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth: 693 but I say unto you, Stand not in opposition to the evil; 694 but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right [8] cheek, 695 turn to him also the other. 696 And he that would sue thee, and take thy tunic, [9] leave to him also thy wrapper. 697 And whosoever compelleth thee one mile, go with [10] [Arabic, p. 35] him twain. 698 And he that asketh thee, give unto him: 699 and he that would borrow of thee, prevent him not. And prosecute 700 not him that taketh thy [11] substance. 701 And as ye desire that men should do to you, so do ye also to them.
[12, 13] 702 Ye have heard that it was said, Love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy: 703 but I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for those that curse you, and deal well p. 58 with those that hate you, and pray for those who take you with violence and persecute you; [14] 704 that ye may be sons of your heavenly Father, who maketh his sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sendeth down his rain on the righteous and the [15] unrighteous. 705 If ye love them that love you, what reward shall ye have? 706 for the publicans [16] and sinners also love those that love them. 707 And if ye do a kindness to those [17] who treat you well, where is your superiority? for sinners also do likewise. 708 And if ye lend to him of whom ye hope for a reward, 709 where is your superiority? for the [18] sinners also lend to sinners, seeking recompense from 710 them. 711 But love your enemies, and do good to them, and lend, and cut not off the hope of any man; that your reward may be great, and ye may be the children of the Highest: for he is lenient [19] towards the wicked and the ungrateful. 712 Be ye merciful, even as your Father also is [20] merciful. 713 And if ye inquire for the good of your brethren only, what more have [21] ye done than others? is not this the conduct of the publicans also? 714 Be ye now 715 perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
[22] 716 Consider your alms; do them not before men to let them see you: and if it be not [23] so, 717 ye have no reward before your Father which is in the heavens. 718 When then thou givest an alms now, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as do the people of hypocrisy, [Arabic, p. 36] in the synagogues and the marketplaces, that men may praise them. And [24] verily say I unto you, They have received their reward. 719 But thou, when [25] thou doest alms, let thy left hand not know what thy right hand doeth; 720 that thine alms may be concealed: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
[26] 721 And whenever thou prayest, be not as the hypocrites, who love to stand in the synagogues and in the corners of the marketplaces for prayers, that men may behold [27] them. 722 And verily say I unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and fasten thy door, and pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. [28] 723 And whenever ye pray, be not babblers, as the heathen; for they think that by the [29] abundance of their words they shall be heard. 724 Then be not ye now like unto them: [30] for your Father knoweth your request before ye ask him. 725 One of his disciples said [31] unto him, Our Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. 726 Jesus said unto [32] them, Thus now pray ye now: 727 728 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy [33, 34] name. 729 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, 730 as in heaven, so on earth. 731 Give us the [35] food of to-day. 732 And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgave those that trespassed [36] against us. 733 And bring us not into temptations, but deliver us from the evil one. For [37] thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. 734 735 If ye forgive [Arabic, p. 37] men their wrong-doing, 736 your Father which is in heaven will forgive you. [38] 737 But if ye forgive not men, neither will your Father pardon your wrong-doing.
[39] 738 When ye fast, do not frown, as the hypocrites; for they make their faces austere, that they may be seen of 739 men that they are fasting. Verily I say unto you, They [40] have received their reward. 740 But when thou fastest, wash thy face and anoint thy [41] head; 741 that thou make not an appearance to men of fasting, but to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee.
[42] 742 Be not agitated, little flock; for your Father hath delighted to give you the kingdom. [43] 743 Sell your possessions, and give in alms; take to yourselves purses that wax [44] not old. 744 Lay not up treasure on earth, where moth and worm corrupt, and where [45] thieves break through and steal: 745 but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where [46] moth and worm do not corrupt, nor thieves break through nor steal: 746 for where your [47] treasure is, there also will your heart be. 747 The lamp of the body is the eye: if then 748 [48] thine eye now be sound, thy whole body also shall be light. 749 But if thine eye be evil, all thy body shall be dark. And if the light which is in thee is darkness, how [49] great is 750 thy darkness! 751 Be watchful that the light which is in thee be not darkness. [50] 752 Because that, if thy whole body is light, and have no part dark, it shall all be light, as the lamp giveth light to thee with its flame.
The adj. is in the superlative.
57:690 57:691 57:692 57:693 57:694A literal reproduction of the Greek, like that in Syr. versions.
57:695 57:696 57:697 57:698 57:699 57:700 57:701 57:702 57:703 58:704 58:705 58:706 58:707 58:708 58:709 58:710Or, to be given back as much by.
58:711 58:712 58:713 58:714 58:715Our translator is continually using this word (cf. § 9, 23) where the context and the originals require then or therefore. We shall only occasionally reproduce the peculiarity.
58:716 58:717 58:718 58:719 58:720 58:721 58:722 58:723 58:724 58:725 58:726 58:727The Arabic text makes Matthew begin here.
58:728 58:729 58:730The text as printed reads, That thy will may be (done); but it is to be explained as a (very common grammatical) transcriptional error. The Cur., however, has and.
58:731 58:732 58:733 58:734Lit. unto the age of the ages.
58:735 58:736Or, folly; and so in following verse.
58:737 58:738 58:739 58:740 58:741 58:742 58:743 58:744 58:745 58:746 58:747 58:748 58:749 58:750 58:751 58:752