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Sermon
on the Mount
Matthew 5
1
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when
he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2
And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3
Blessed
are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4
Blessed
are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6
Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled.
7
Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8
Blessed
are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.
10
Blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11
Blessed
are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12
Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for
so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13
Ye
are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of
men.
14
Ye
are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot
be hid.
15
Neither
do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16
Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17
Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18
For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled.
19
Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall
teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven.
20
For
I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21
Ye have heard that it was said of them of
old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be
in danger of the judgment:
22
But
I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without
a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall
say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the
altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against
thee;
24
Leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25
Agree
with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with
him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge,
and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into
prison.
26
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost
farthing.
27
Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not
commit adultery:
28
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust
after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29
And
if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from
thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into
hell.
30
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from
thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into
hell.
31
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put
away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32
But
I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving
for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery:
and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth
adultery.
33
Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord
thine oaths:
34
But
I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is
God’s throne:
35
Nor
by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for
it is the city of the great King.
36
Neither
shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one
hair white or black.
37
But
let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is
more than these cometh of evil.
38
Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth:
39
But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat,
let him have thy cloak also.
41
And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42
Give
to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away.
43
Ye
have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy.
44
But
I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you;
45
That ye may be the children of your Father
which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46
For
if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even
the publicans the same?
47
And
if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do
not even the publicans so?
48
Be
ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.
Matthew 6
1
Take
heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do
not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy
right hand doeth:
4
That
thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in
secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5
And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for
they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners
of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward.
6
But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and
thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7
But
when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9
After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10
Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11
Give
us this day our daily bread.
12
And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13
And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14
For
if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you:
15
But
if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses.
16
Moreover
when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance:
for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to
fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17
But
thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18
That
thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is
in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward
thee openly.
19
Lay
not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20
But lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal:
21
For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22
The
light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light.
23
But
if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is
that darkness!
24
No
man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25
Therefore
I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall
eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment?
26
Behold
the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they?
27
Which
of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28
And
why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29
And
yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these.
30
Wherefore,
if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to
morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith?
31
Therefore take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we
be clothed?
32
(For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33
But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you.
34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 7
1
Judge
not, that ye be not judged.
2
For
with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3
And
why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4
Or
how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out
of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5
Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and
then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy
brother’s eye.
6
Give
not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet,
and turn again and rend you.
7
Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
it shall be opened unto you:
8
For
every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he
give him a stone?
10
Or
if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11
If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12
Therefore
all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye
even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13
Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat:
14
Because
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it.
15
Beware
of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16
Ye
shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles?
17
Even
so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit.
18
A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit.
19
Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire.
20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21
Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which
is in heaven.
22
Many
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works?
23
And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity.
24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings
of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which
built his house upon a rock:
25
And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a
rock.
26
And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house
upon the sand:
27
And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the
people were astonished at his doctrine:
29
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes. * * * * *
 |
Hands on the Freedom Plow
Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC
By
Faith S. Holsaert, Martha Prescod Norman Noonan
Judy Richardson, Betty Garman
Robinson, et al.
The book opens
a window onto the organizing tradition of the
Southern civil rights movement. That tradition,
rooted in the courage and persistence of ordinary
people, has been obscured by the characterization of
the civil rights struggle as consisting primarily of
protest marches. In rural Dawson, Ga., Carolyn
Daniels housed SNCC workers organizing for voter
registration, and whites retaliated by bombing her
home. But at the end of a vivid depiction of this
and other anti-black terrorist acts, she writes, in
an apt summary of the grass-roots organizing that is
the real explanation for civil rights victories, "We
just kept going and going." |
Organizing involved the
kind of commitment and willingness to face risk that Penny Patch
conveys in only a few short sentences describing covert
nighttime meetings in plantation sharecropper shacks. Patch is
white. But that did not lessen the fear or reduce the danger of
remaining seated while poll watching in a country store as
whites came in and out, giving her and her black co-worker
menacing stares.
Full journalistic
disclosure requires me to say that many of these women are
friends and former comrades. But knowing the movement that we
were all a part of also demands that I share my observation:
While these pages look back, looking forward from them reveals
that there are many useful lessons for today in the strength of
these women.—Charles
E. Cobb Jr.
* *
* * *
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1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus
Created
By Charles C. Mann
I’m
a big fan of Charles Mann’s previous
book
1491:
New Revelations of the Americas Before
Columbus, in which he
provides a sweeping and provocative
examination of North and South America
prior to the arrival of Christopher
Columbus. It’s exhaustively researched
but so wonderfully written that it’s
anything but exhausting to read. With
his follow-up,
1493, Mann has taken it to a
new, truly global level. Building on the
groundbreaking work of Alfred Crosby
(author of
The Columbian Exchange and, I’m
proud to say, a fellow Nantucketer),
Mann has written nothing less than the
story of our world: how a planet of what
were once several autonomous continents
is quickly becoming a single,
“globalized” entity.
Mann not only talked to countless
scientists and researchers; he visited
the places he writes about, and as a
consequence, the book has a marvelously
wide-ranging yet personal feel as we
follow Mann from one far-flung corner of
the world to the next. And always, the
prose is masterful. In telling the
improbable story of how Spanish and
Chinese cultures collided in the
Philippines in the sixteenth century, he
takes us to the island of Mindoro whose
“southern coast consists of a number of
small bays, one next to another like
tooth marks in an apple.” We learn how
the spread of malaria, the potato,
tobacco, guano, rubber plants, and sugar
cane have disrupted and convulsed the
planet and will continue to do so until
we are finally living on one integrated
or at least close-to-integrated Earth.
Whether or not the human instigators of
all this remarkable change will survive
the process they helped to initiate more
than five hundred years ago remains,
Mann suggests in this monumental and
revelatory book, an open question. |
* *
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|
The Persistence of the Color Line
Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency
By Randall Kennedy
Among the best things about
The Persistence of the Color Line
is watching Mr. Kennedy hash through the
positions about Mr. Obama staked out by
black commentators on the left and
right, from Stanley Crouch and Cornel
West to Juan Williams and Tavis Smiley.
He can be pointed. Noting the way Mr.
Smiley consistently “voiced skepticism
regarding whether blacks should back
Obama” . . .
The
finest chapter in
The Persistence of the Color Line
is so resonant, and so personal, it
could nearly be the basis for a book of
its own. That chapter is titled
“Reverend Wright and My Father:
Reflections on Blacks and Patriotism.”
Recalling some of the criticisms of
America’s past made by Mr. Obama’s
former pastor, Mr. Kennedy writes with
feeling about his own father, who put
each of his three of his children
through Princeton but who “never forgave
American society for its racist
mistreatment of him and those whom he
most loved.” His father distrusted
the police, who had frequently called
him “boy,” and rejected patriotism. Mr.
Kennedy’s father “relished Muhammad
Ali’s quip that the Vietcong had never
called him ‘nigger.’ ” The author places
his father, and Mr. Wright, in
sympathetic historical light. |
 |
* * * * *
Ancient African Nations
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Browse all issues
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Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
/
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
/
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery
* *
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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posted 22 June 2008
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