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“Don’t criticize, and then you won’t be criticized. For others will treat you as you treat them. And why worry about a speck in the eye of a brother when you have a board in your own? Should you say, ‘Friend, let me help you get that speck out of your eye,’ when you can’t even see because of the board in your own? Hypocrite! First get rid of the board. Then you can see to help your brother.

“Don’t give holy things to depraved men. Don’t give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls and turn and attack you.

“Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Anyone who seeks, finds. If only you will knock, the door will open. If a child asks his father for a loaf of bread, will he be given a stone instead? 10 If he asks for fish, will he be given a poisonous snake? Of course not! 11 And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?

12 “Do for others what you want them to do for you. This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell.[a]

13 “Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell[b] is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. 14 But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

15 “Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart. 16 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You need never confuse grapevines with thorn bushes or figs with thistles. 17 Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit. 18 A variety that produces delicious fruit never produces an inedible kind. And a tree producing an inedible kind can’t produce what is good. 19 So the trees having the inedible fruit are chopped down and thrown on the fire. 20 Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person[c] is by the kind of fruit produced.

21 “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 At the Judgment[d] many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine.[e] Go away, for your deeds are evil.’

24 “All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock.

26 “But those who hear my instructions and ignore them are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand. 27 For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” 28 The crowds were amazed at Jesus’ sermons, 29 for he taught as one who had great authority, and not as their Jewish leaders.[f]

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 7:12 This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell, literally, “This is the law and the prophets.”
  2. Matthew 7:13 The highway to hell, literally, “The way that leads to destruction.”
  3. Matthew 7:20 or a person, implied.
  4. Matthew 7:22 At the Judgment, literally, “In that day.”
  5. Matthew 7:23 You have never been mine, literally, “I never knew you.”
  6. Matthew 7:29 not as their Jewish leaders, literally, “not as the scribes.” These leaders only quoted others, and did not presume to present any fresh revelation.

Judging Others(A)

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.(B) For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.(C)

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock(D)

“Ask and it will be given to you;(E) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;(F) and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts(G) to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,(H) for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.(I)

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate.(J) For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets.(K) They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.(L) 16 By their fruit you will recognize them.(M) Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?(N) 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.(O) 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.(P) 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’(Q) will enter the kingdom of heaven,(R) but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.(S) 22 Many will say to me on that day,(T) ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’(U) 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’(V)

The Wise and Foolish Builders(W)

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice(X) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things,(Y) the crowds were amazed at his teaching,(Z) 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.