Matthew 7

7 ¹"Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. ²For you'll be judged by the judgment you use, and measured by the measure you give. ³Why look at the speck in your brother's eye but miss the log in your own? ⁴Or how can you tell your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye,' when a log is in yours? ⁵Hypocrite, first remove the log from your own eye; then you'll see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

⁶"Don't give dogs what is holy, or throw your pearls before pigs—they'll trample them underfoot, then turn and tear you apart.

The Father Gives to Those Who Ask

⁷"Ask, and you'll receive it; seek, and you'll find; knock, and it'll open for you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, whoever seeks finds, and whoever knocks, it will be opened. ⁹Or what person among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹So if you, being evil, know how to give your children good gifts, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

¹²"So in everything, treat people the way you want them to treat you; for this is the Law and the Prophets.

¹³"Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, the road broad, leading to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴But the gate is narrow, the road narrow, that leads to life; few find it.

Known by Their Fruit

¹⁵"Beware false prophets: they come to you in sheep's clothing but are ravenous wolves inside. ¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Only Those Who Do the Father's Will

²¹"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of our Father, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, do many miracles in your name?' ²³Then I will tell them plainly: 'I never knew you; get away from me, you lawbreakers.'

Build on the Rock

²⁴"So anyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man whose house was built on the rock. ²⁵Rain fell, floods came, winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn't fall, because it was founded on rock. ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn't do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain fell, floods came, winds blew and hit that house, and it fell—and its fall was great."

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹because he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.