Matthew 7–9; Psalm 50

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Matthew 7–9

Judging Others

rJudge not, that you be not judged. sFor with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and twith the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but udo not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

vDo not give wdogs what is holy, and do not throw your xpearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Ask, and It Will Be Given

yAsk, zand it will be given to you; aseek, and you will find; bknock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for cbread, will give him ca stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, dwho are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will zyour Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

12 So ewhatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is fthe Law and the Prophets.

13 gEnter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy1 that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and hthe way is hard that leads to life, and ithose who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

15 jBeware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are kravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them lby their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, mevery healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 nEvery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them lby their fruits.

I Never Knew You

21 oNot everyone who psays to me, Lord, Lord, will qenter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who rdoes the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 sOn that day tmany will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not uprophesy in your name, and cast out demons vin your name, and do many mighty works in your name? 23 tAnd then will I declare to them, I wnever knew you; xdepart from me, yyou workers of lawlessness.

Build Your House on the Rock

24 zEveryone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like aa wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like aa foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

The Authority of Jesus

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, bthe crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 cfor he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

When he came down from the mountain, dgreat crowds followed him. eAnd behold, a leper2 came to him and fknelt before him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And Jesus3 stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, gSee that you say nothing to anyone, but go, hshow yourself to the priest and ioffer the gift that Moses commanded, jfor a proof to them.

The Faith of a Centurion

kWhen he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. And he said to him, I will come and heal him. But the centurion replied, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but lonly say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my servant,4 Do this, and he does it. 10 When Jesus heard this, mhe marveled and said to those who followed him, Truly, I tell you, with nno one in Israel5 have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, omany will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 pwhile the sons of the kingdom qwill be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place rthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, Go; let it be done for you sas you have believed. tAnd the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

14 uAnd when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw vhis mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He wtouched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were xoppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits ywith a word and healed all who were sick. 17 zThis was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: aHe took our illnesses and bore our diseases.

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 Now bwhen Jesus saw a crowd around him, che gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 dAnd a scribe came up and said to him, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. 20 And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. 21 Another of the disciples said to him, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. 22 And Jesus said to him, Follow me, and leave ethe dead to bury their own dead.

Jesus Calms a Storm

23 fAnd when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but ghe was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, hSave us, Lord; we are perishing. 26 And he said to them, Why are you iafraid, jO you of little faith? Then he rose and krebuked the winds and the sea, and lthere was a great calm. 27 And the men mmarveled, saying, What sort of man is this, that even nwinds and sea obey him?

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

28 oAnd when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,6 two pdemon-possessed7 men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they qcried out, What have you to do with us, rO Son of God? Have you come here to torment us sbefore the time? 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs. 32 And he said to them, Go. So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the tdemon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, uthey begged him to leave their region.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to vhis own city. wAnd behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus xsaw their faith, he said to the paralytic, yTake heart, my son; zyour sins are forgiven. And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, aThis man is blaspheming. But Jesus, bknowing8 their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sinshe then said to the paralyticRise, pick up your bed and go home. And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, cthey were afraid, and cthey glorified God, who had dgiven such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

eAs Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called fMatthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, Follow me. And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus9 reclined at table in the house, behold, many gtax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, hWhy does your teacher eat with gtax collectors and sinners? 12 But when he heard it, he said, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn iwhat this means: jI desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For kI came not to call the righteous, lbut sinners.

A Question About Fasting

14 Then mthe disciples of John came to him, saying, nWhy do we and othe Pharisees fast,10 but your disciples do not fast? 15 And Jesus said to them, pCan the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? qThe days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and rthen they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old swineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

18 tWhile he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and uknelt before him, saying, My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live. 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman vwho had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched wthe fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, If I only touch his garment, I will be made well. 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, xTake heart, daughter; your faith has made you well. yAnd instantly11 the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw zthe flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, Go away, for athe girl is not dead but bsleeping. And they laughed at him. 25 But cwhen the crowd had been put outside, he went in and dtook her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

27 eAnd as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, Have mercy on us, fSon of David. 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to him, Yes, Lord. 29 gThen he touched their eyes, saying, hAccording to your faith be it done to you. 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, iSee that no one knows about it. 31 jBut they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak

32 As they were going away, behold, a kdemon-oppressed man who was mute lwas brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds mmarveled, saying, Never was anything like this seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casts out demons by the prince of demons.

The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few

35 nAnd Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 oWhen he saw the crowds, phe had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, qlike sheep without a shepherd. 37 rThen he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore spray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to tsend out laborers into his harvest.


Psalm 50

God Himself Is Judge

A Psalm of nAsaph.

oThe Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

pfrom the rising of the sun to its setting.

Out of Zion, qthe perfection of beauty,

rGod shines forth.

Our God comes; he sdoes not keep silence;1

before him is a devouring tfire,

around him a mighty tempest.

uHe calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

Gather to me my faithful ones,

who made va covenant with me by sacrifice!

wThe heavens declare his righteousness,

for xGod himself is judge! Selah

yHear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, I will testify against you.

zI am God, your God.

Not for your sacrifices ado I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

10  For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11  bI know all the birds of the hills,

and all that moves in the field is mine.

12  If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

cfor the world and its fullness are mine.

13  Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14  dOffer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,2

and eperform your vows to the Most High,

15  and fcall upon me in the day of trouble;

I will gdeliver you, and you shall hglorify me.

16  But to the wicked God says:

What right have you to recite my statutes

or take my covenant on your lips?

17  iFor you hate discipline,

jand you cast my words behind you.

18  If you see a thief, kyou are pleased with him,

land you keep company with adulterers.

19  You give your mouth free rein for evil,

mand your tongue frames deceit.

20  You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.

21  These things you have done, and I nhave been silent;

you thought that I3 was one like yourself.

But now I orebuke you and play the charge before you.

22  Mark this, then, you who qforget God,

lest I tear you apart, and there be rnone to deliver!

23  The one who soffers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

to one who torders his way rightly

I will show the usalvation of God!