Matthew 7 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 “Don't judge others, so that you won't be judged.
1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged.
2 For whatever standard you use to judge others will be used to judge you, and whatever measurement you use to measure others will be used to measure you.
2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.
3 Why do you see the speck that's in your brother's eye? Don't you notice the plank that's in your own eye?
3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take out that speck from your eye’ when you have a plank in your own eye?
4 Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye?
5 You're being hypocritical! First get rid of the plank that's in your own eye. Then you'll be able to see clearly to take out the speck from your brother's eye.
5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 Don't give dogs what's holy. Don't throw your pearls to pigs. That way the pigs won't trample them underfoot, and the dogs won't turn and attack you.
6 “Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
7 “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.
8 Everyone who asks, receives; everyone who seeks, finds; and everyone who knocks has the door opened for them.
8 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
9 Would any of you give your son a stone if he asked for bread?
9 Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asked for fish, would you give him a snake?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?
11 So if even you who are evil know to give good things to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 Treat others the way you want them to treat you. This sums up the law and the prophets.
12 Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter by the narrow entrance. For the entrance is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many travel that way.
13 “Enter in by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in by it.
14 But the entrance is narrow, and the way is difficult that leads to life, and only a few find it.
14 How narrow is the gate and the way is restricted that leads to life! There are few who find it.
15 Watch out for false prophets who come wearing sheep's clothing, but who on the inside are vicious wolves.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.
16 You can recognize them by their fruits. Do people harvest grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?
17 So every good tree produces good fruit, while a bad tree produces bad fruit.
17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit, but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit.
18 A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit.
18 A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.
19 Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
19 Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 So you'll recognize them by their fruits.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven—only those who do the will of my Father in heaven.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me at the Day of Judgment, ‘Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name and drive out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’
22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’
23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Leave me, you people who practice wickedness!’
23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
24 Everyone that hears the words I say, and follows them, is like a wise man who built his house on solid rock.
24 “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain poured down, and the floods rose, and the winds blew hard against the house, but it didn't fall down, because its foundations were on solid rock.
25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 Everyone that hears the words I say, and doesn't follow them, is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 The rain poured down, and the floods rose, and the winds blew hard against the house, and it fell down—it totally collapsed.”
27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell—and its fall was great.”
28 When Jesus finished explaining these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,
29 for he taught like someone with authority, and not like their religious teachers.
29 for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.
Cross references (27)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Luke 6:37; Romans 2:1–2; James 4:11–12; Luke 6:41; Romans 14:10–13
- 2 James 2:13; Mark 4:24; Obadiah 15; Luke 6:38; Psalm 18:25–26
- 3 John 8:7–9; Galatians 6:1; Luke 6:41–42; 2 Samuel 12:5–6; Luke 18:11
- 5 Luke 6:42; Psalm 51:9–13; Matthew 23:13–28; Luke 13:15; Luke 4:23
- 6 Proverbs 9:7–8; Proverbs 23:9; Matthew 10:14–15; Proverbs 26:11; Matthew 15:26
- 7 Matthew 21:22; 1 John 3:22; John 15:7; Mark 11:24; Psalm 145:18–19
- 8 Psalm 81:10; Psalm 81:16; Luke 23:42–43; Matthew 15:22–28; Acts 9:11
- 9 Luke 11:11–13
- 11 Luke 11:11–13; James 1:17; Romans 8:32; Psalm 84:11; Isaiah 49:15
- 12 Luke 6:31; Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:13–14; Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:29–34
- 13 Luke 13:24–25; Proverbs 16:25; John 14:6; John 10:9; Isaiah 55:7
- 14 Luke 13:23–30; Matthew 22:14; Matthew 16:24–25; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 35:8
- 15 1 John 4:1; Matthew 24:11; 2 Peter 2:1–3; Acts 20:29–31; Mark 13:22–23
- 16 Luke 6:43–45; James 3:12; Matthew 12:33; Matthew 7:20; 2 Peter 2:10–18
- 17 Matthew 12:33–35; Galatians 5:22–24; Ephesians 5:9; Psalm 1:3; Colossians 1:10
- 18 Galatians 5:17; 1 John 3:9–10
- 19 Matthew 3:10; John 15:2–6; Luke 3:9; Hebrews 6:8; Luke 13:6–9
- 20 Matthew 7:16
- 21 Romans 2:13; Luke 6:46; James 1:22; Luke 11:28; Titus 1:16
- 22 Luke 13:25–27; 1 Corinthians 13:1–2; Malachi 3:17–18; Hebrews 6:4–6; Acts 19:13–15
- 23 Matthew 25:41; Psalm 6:8; Luke 13:27; Luke 13:25; Matthew 25:12
- 24 Luke 6:47–49; John 13:17; Luke 11:28; 1 Corinthians 3:10–11; James 2:17–26
- 25 James 1:12; Psalm 125:1–2; 1 Peter 1:7; Colossians 2:7; 1 Peter 1:5
- 26 Jeremiah 8:9; Luke 6:49; James 2:20; Proverbs 14:1; 1 Samuel 2:30
- 27 Matthew 13:19–22; 1 Corinthians 3:13; 2 Peter 2:20–22; Hebrews 10:26–31; Matthew 12:43–45
- 28 Luke 4:32; Mark 1:22; John 7:46; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:22
- 29 Hebrews 4:12–13; Isaiah 50:4; Luke 20:8; Luke 20:46–47; Deuteronomy 18:18–19
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
In the lesson of the Holy Gospel the Lord hath exhorted us to prayer. "Ask," saith He, "and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
What then? Ought we not to blame them that sin? Because Paul also saith this selfsame thing: or rather, there too it is Christ, speaking by Paul, and saying, "Why dost thou judge thy brother?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; "not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing," or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: "Judge not, that ye be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; …
It was, [they affirm,] concerning these that the Lord said, "Seek, and ye shall find," that is, that they should inquire how Nous and Aletheia proceeded from Bythus and Sage; whether Logos and Zoe again derive their origin from these and then, whether Anthropos and Ecclesia proceed from Logos and Zoe.
or how shall they believe without a preacher?" And those who seek the Lord shall praise Him. For those who seek shall find Him, and those who find Him shall praise Him.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)