Matthew 7

¹Do not condemn, so that you may not be condemned. ²For by whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged, and by whatever measure you measure, it will be measured back to you. ³Why do you see the splinter in your brother's eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? ⁴Or how will you say to your brother, "Let me take the splinter out of your eye," when look—there is a beam in your own eye? ⁵Performer! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye.

⁶Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before the pigs—otherwise they will trample them under their feet and then turn and tear you apart.

⁷Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹Or what person among you, if his son asks for bread—will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish—will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those who ask him!

¹²So then, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them—for this is the Law and the Prophets.

¹³Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and spacious is the road that leads away to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. ¹⁴How narrow is the gate and constricted is the road that leads away to life, and few are those who find it!

¹⁵Beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶By their fruits you will recognize them. Do people gather grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷In the same way, every good tree produces fine fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not produce fine fruit is cut down and thrown into fire. ²⁰So then, by their fruits you will recognize them.

²¹Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in the heavens. ²²Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many powerful deeds in your name?" ²³And then I will declare to them: "I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."

²⁴Everyone, therefore, who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵And the rain came down, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house—and it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷And the rain came down, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and struck against that house—and it fell, and great was its collapse.

²⁸And it happened that when Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹for he was teaching them as one who has authority, and not as their scribes.