Day 388 of 730

¹And seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

²Then he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

³"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

¹¹"Blessed are you when men insult you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹²Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.

¹⁵Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.

¹⁶Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

¹⁸For truly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the Law, until all things are accomplished.

¹⁹Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

²⁰For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

²¹"You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;' and 'Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.'

²²But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing!' shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³"If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

²⁴leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

²⁵Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

²⁶Truly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;'

²⁸but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

²⁹And if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

³⁰And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

³¹"It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'

³²but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

³³"Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,'

³⁴but I tell you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

³⁵nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶Neither shall you swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

³⁷But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

³⁸"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'

³⁹But I tell you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

⁴⁰And if anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

⁴¹And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

⁴²Give to him who asks you, and do not turn away him who desires to borrow from you.

⁴³"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'

⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,

⁴⁵that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁷And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do than others? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁸Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

¹Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you.

²Let my prayer enter into your presence. Turn your ear to my cry.

³For my soul is full of troubles. My life draws near to Sheol.

⁴I am counted among those who go down into the pit. I am like a man who has no help,

⁵set apart among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more. They are cut off from your hand.

⁶You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.

⁷Your wrath lies heavily on me. You have afflicted me with all your waves. Selah.

⁸You have taken my friends from me. You have made me an abomination to them. I am confined, and I can't escape.

⁹My eyes are dim from grief. I have called on you daily, Lord. I have spread out my hands to you.

¹⁰Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the dead rise up and praise you? Selah.

¹¹Is your loving kindness declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in Destruction?

¹²Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³But to you, Lord, I have cried. In the morning, my prayer comes before you.

¹⁴Lord, why do you reject my soul? Why do you hide your face from me?

¹⁵I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer your terrors, I am distracted.

¹⁶Your fierce wrath has gone over me. Your terrors have cut me off.

¹⁷They came around me like water all day long. They completely engulfed me.

¹⁸You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness.

¹The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

²All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weighs the motives.

³Commit your deeds to the Lord, and your plans shall succeed.

⁴The Lord has made everything for its own end- yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

⁵Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: they shall certainly not be unpunished.

⁶By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

⁷When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

⁸Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice.

⁹A man's heart plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.

¹¹Honest balances and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.

¹²It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness.

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.

¹⁴The king's wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.

¹⁵In the light of the king's face is life. His favor is like a cloud of the spring rain.

¹⁶How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the plunder with the proud.

²⁰He who heeds the Word finds prosperity. Whoever trusts in the Lord is blessed.

²¹The wise in heart shall be called prudent. Pleasantness of the lips promotes instruction.

²²Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the punishment of fools is their folly.

²³The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

²⁵There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

²⁶The appetite of the laboring man labors for him; for his mouth urges him on.

²⁷A worthless man devises mischief. His speech is like a scorching fire.

²⁸A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.

²⁹A man of violence entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰One who winks his eyes to plot perversities, one who compresses his lips, is bent on evil.

³¹Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.

³²One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.