Judging Others

71 Be not judges of others, and you will not be judged. 2 For as you have been judging, so you will be judged, and with your measure will it be measured to you. 3 And why do you take note of the grain of dust in your brother's eye, but take no note of the bit of wood which is in your eye? 4 Or how will you say to your brother, Let me take out the grain of dust from your eye, when you yourself have a bit of wood in your eye? 5 You false one, first take out the bit of wood from your eye, then will you see clearly to take out the grain of dust from your brother's eye. 6 Do not give that which is holy to the dogs, or put your jewels before pigs, for fear that they will be crushed under foot by the pigs whose attack will then be made against you.

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 Make a request, and it will be answered; what you are searching for you will get; give the sign, and the door will be open to you: 8 Because to everyone who makes a request, it will be given; and he who is searching will get his desire, and to him who gives the sign, the door will be open. 9 Or which of you, if his son makes a request for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he makes a request for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, being evil, are able to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who make requests to him?

12 All those things, then, which you would have men do to you, even so do you to them: because this is the law and the prophets.

The Narrow Gate

13 Go in by the narrow door; for wide is the door and open is the way which goes to destruction, and great numbers go in by it. 14 For narrow is the door and hard the road to life, and only a small number make discovery of it.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

15 Be on the watch for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are cruel wolves. 16 By their fruits you will get knowledge of them. Do men get grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree gives good fruit; but the bad tree gives evil fruit. 18 It is not possible for a good tree to give bad fruit, and a bad tree will not give good fruit. 19 Every tree which does not give good fruit is cut down and put in the fire. 20 So by their fruits you will get knowledge of them.

I Never Knew You

21 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will go into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the pleasure of my Father in heaven. 22 A great number will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, were we not prophets in your name, and did we not by your name send out evil spirits, and by your name do works of power? 23 And then will I say to them, I never had knowledge of you: go from me, you workers of evil.

The Two Foundations

24 Everyone, then, to whom my words come and who does them, will be like a wise man who made his house on a rock; 25 And the rain came down and there was a rush of waters and the winds were driving against that house, but it was not moved; because it was based on the rock. 26 And everyone to whom my words come and who does them not, will be like a foolish man who made his house on sand; 27 And the rain came down and there was a rush of waters and the winds were driving against that house; and it came down and great was its fall. 28 And it came about, when Jesus had come to the end of these words, that the people were surprised at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

The Preaching of John the Baptist

31 And in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the waste land of Judaea, 2 Saying, Let your hearts be turned from sin; for the kingdom of heaven is near. 3 For this is he of whom Isaiah the prophet said, The voice of one crying in the waste land, Make ready the way of the Lord, make his roads straight. 4 Now John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather band about him; and his food was locusts and honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judaea went out to him, and all the people from near Jordan; 6 And they were given baptism by him in the river Jordan, saying openly that they had done wrong.

7 But when he saw a number of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Offspring of snakes, at whose word are you going in flight from the wrath to come? 8 Let your change of heart be seen in your works: 9 And say not to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; because I say to you that God is able from these stones to make children for Abraham. 10 And even now the axe is put to the root of the trees; every tree then which does not give good fruit is cut down, and put into the fire. 11 Truly, I give baptism with water to those of you whose hearts are changed; but he who comes after me is greater than I, whose shoes I am not good enough to take up: he will give you baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire: 12 In whose hand is the instrument with which he will make clean his grain; he will put the good grain in his store, but the waste will be burned up in the fire which will never be put out.

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be given baptism by him. 14 But John would have kept him back, saying, It is I who have need of baptism from you, and do you come to me? 15 But Jesus made answer, saying to him, Let it be so now: because so it is right for us to make righteousness complete. Then he gave him baptism. 16 And Jesus, having been given baptism, straight away went up from the water; and, the heavens opening, he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him as a dove; 17 And a voice came out of heaven, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.