Eli’s Worthless Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli ^xwere ^yworthless men. They ^zdid not know the Lord. 13 ^aThe custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the ^bfat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy ^cclothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel ^dgrew in the presence of the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the ^ewomen who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow ^fboth in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household

27 And there came a ^gman of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I ^hchoose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father ⁱall my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn¹ my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me ^jforever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me ^kI will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, ^lthe days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his² eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants³ of your house shall die by the sword of men.⁴ 34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, ^mshall be the sign to you: ⁿboth of them shall die on the same day. 35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And ^oI will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”

The Temptation of Jesus

1 ^yThen Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the ^zwilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after ^afasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the ^bSon of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

and

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ^g‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a ^hvery high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you ⁱwill fall down and ^jworship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, ^langels came and were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

12 ^mNow when he heard that John had been ⁿarrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in ^oCapernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be ^pfulfilled:

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ^s“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is ^tat hand.”¹

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

18 ^uWhile walking by the ^vSea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, ^w“Follow me, and I will make you ^xfishers of men.”² 20 Immediately they ^yleft their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

23 ^zAnd he went throughout all Galilee, ^ateaching in their synagogues and ^bproclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his ^cfame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having ^dseizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Sermon on the Mount

1 ^eSeeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the ^fpoor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be ^gcomforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for ^hthey shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who ⁱhunger and thirst for ^jrighteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the ^kmerciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the ^lpure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the ^mpeacemakers, for they shall be ⁿcalled sons³ of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are ^opersecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 ^pRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 ^q“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the ^rlight of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 ^sNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that⁴ they may ^tsee your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to ^uabolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to ^vfulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, ^wnot an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes ^xone of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called ^yleast in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never ^zenter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ^a‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 ^bBut I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother⁵ will be liable to judgment; whoever insults⁶ his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell⁷ of fire. 23 So ^cif you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 ^dCome to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out ^euntil you have paid the last penny.⁸

Lust

27 “You have heard that it was said, ^f‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who ^glooks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 ^hIf your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Divorce

31 “It was also said, ⁱ‘Whoever ^jdivorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that ^keveryone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ^l‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, ^mDo not take an oath at all, either by ⁿheaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the ^ocity of the great ^pKing. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 ^qLet what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.⁹

Retaliation

38 ^r“You have heard that it was said, ^s‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. ^tBut if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,¹⁰ let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 ^uGive to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ^v‘You shall ^wlove your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, ^xLove your enemies and ^ypray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and ^zsends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,¹¹ what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be ^aperfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Giving to the Needy

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be ^bseen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be ^cpraised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord’s Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 ^d“And when you pray, do not ^eheap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their ^fmany words. 8 Do not be like them, ^gfor your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 ⁿbut if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

16 “And ^owhen you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their ^pfasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

19 ^q“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where ^rmoth and rust¹⁶ destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves ^streasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 ^t“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 ^u“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.¹⁷

Do Not Be Anxious

25 ^v“Therefore I tell you, do not be ^wanxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the ^xbirds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of ^ymore value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can ^zadd a single hour to his span of life?¹⁸ 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even ^aSolomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the ^bgrass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, ^cO you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and ^dyour heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 ^eBut seek first the kingdom of God and his ^frighteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about ^gtomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.