1 IT happened that he was passing one Sabbath through some grainfields, and his disciples were plucking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

3 Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he was hungry, he and the men with him \'97

4 how he went into the house of God and took the consecrated loaves and ate them and gave them to his men, loaves that it is unlawful for any but the priests alone to eat?"

5 He said further to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

6 It happened on another Sabbath that he went into the synagogue and was teaching. There was a man there whose right hand was withered.

7 The scribes and Pharisees watched to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, wishing to find something to accuse him of.

8 But he knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, "Rise, and stand in the center." He rose and stood.

9 Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"

10 He looked around at all of them, then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored.

11 But they were filled with blind fury, and discussed with one another what they could do to Jesus.

12 It happened during those days that he went out to the mountain and prayed and was all night in prayer to God.

13 When day came, he called to him his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom also he named "Apostles":

14 Simon, whom he named Peter Rock, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew,

15 and Matthew and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot,

16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 He went down with them and stood on a level spot where were gathered a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judaea and Jerusalem and the sea-coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.

18 Those who were troubled by impure spirits were healed.

19 The whole crowd tried to touch him, because power went out from him and healed all.

20 He raised his eyes to his disciples and said: "Blessed are you poor! For yours is the kingdom of God.

21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now! For you will be abundantly fed. "Blessed are you who are weeping now! For you will laugh.

22 "Blessed are you when men hate you and when they shut you out and reproach you and cast out your name as evil because of the Son of Man!

23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy. For, indeed, your reward will be great in heaven. Just so their fathers treated the prophets.

24 "But alas for you rich men! For you have now your comfort in full.

25 "Alas for you who are filled now! For you will hunger. "Alas for you who are laughing now! For you will mourn and wail.

26 "Alas for you, when all men speak well of you! Just so their fathers treated the false prophets.

27 But I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies; act nobly to those who hate you;

28 bless those who curse you; pray for those who insult you.

29 To him who strikes you on one cheek, offer also the other. To him who takes your cloak, do not refuse your tunic.

30 To every one who asks, give, and from him who takes your things, do not ask them back.

31 Do to men just as you wish them to do to you.

32 If you love those who love you, what grace have you? For sinners also love those who love them.

33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what grace have you? Sinners also do the same.

34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what grace have you? Sinners also lend to sinners in order to get back as much.

35 But love your enemies and do good and lend without hope of return, and your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High. For he is generous to the ungrateful and wicked.

36 Become compassionate as your Father is compassionate.

37 Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

38 Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed in, shaken down, and running over they will pour into your lap. For with the measure that you measure with will the return to you be measured."

39 He gave them an illustration: "The blind cannot lead the blind, can he? Will not both fall into the ditch?

40 A scholar is not superior to his teacher. Every scholar when finished will be like his teacher.

41 Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye while you do not perceive the beam in your own eye?

42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me get out the speck that is in your eye,' while you yourself never notice the beam in your own eye? Hypocrite, take out first the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to get out the speck in your brother's eye.

43 "There is no good tree that yields worthless fruit, nor is there a worthless tree that yields fine fruit.

44 Every tree will be known by its own fruit. They do not gather figs from thorns, nor from a bramble-bush do they harvest grapes.

45 A good man from the good treasury of his heart brings forth what is good, and the evil man from his evil treasury brings forth what is evil. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

46 "Why do you call me: 'Master, Master,' and yet not do what I say?

47 Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you whom he is like.

48 He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood came, the river dashed against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

49 But he who hears and does not do is like a man building a house on the earth without foundation, against which the river dashed, and at once it fell, and the wreck of that house was great."