Matthew 7:16 - Plain English Version

¹⁶ If you look at the things these people do, you can find out if they are talking true words, or if they are liars.” Then Jesus told a picture story. He said, “Think about the trees that give us fruit to eat. We can’t get good fruit from rubbish trees. We can’t get grapes from rubbish plants.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹⁶ Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹⁶ You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

American Standard Version (1901)

¹⁶ By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Common English Bible

¹⁶ You will know them by their fruit. Do people get bunches of grapes from thorny weeds, or do they get figs from thistles?

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹⁶ You shall know them by their fruits. Can grapes be gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:16 Cross References

Matthew 7:20

So, to find out if a person is good or bad, look at what they do. A good person does good things. And a bad person does bad things.”

Galatians 5:22

But if God’s spirit controls people, he gets them to do good things. You know that a good fruit tree always gets good fruit on it. Well, like that, a person with God’s spirit does good things. If you let God’s spirit lead you, he will get you to love God and to love other people. And you will be happy. And you will feel good and quiet inside yourself so that you will not fight with other people. God’s spirit inside you will help you be good to people and not get angry, even if they give you trouble. And he will get you to be friendly to other people, and he will get you to do good things. He will make you the sort of person that other people can trust.

James 2:18

Maybe you reckon, “Some people can believe in Jesus, and other people can do the good things that Jesus says to do.” I answer you like this, “If you don’t do the things that Jesus says, you can’t show me that you believe in him. But whenever I do the good things he tells me to do, I show you that I do believe in him.”

1 Samuel 24:13

You know what people often say, ‘Only bad people do bad things.’ I do not want to be a bad person, so I will not touch you.” (We have not yet translated 24:14-15.)