Matthew 7 - Easy To Read Version

¹ “Don’t judge other people, and God will not judge you.

² If you judge other people, you will be judged in the same way you judge them. And the way you give to other people will be the way God gives to you.

³ “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your brother’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own eye?

⁴ Why do you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye.

⁵ You are a hypocrite. {\cf2\super [82]} First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Don’t give holy things to dogs. They will only turn and hurt you. And don’t throw your pearls to pigs. They will only step on them.

⁷ “Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you.

⁸ Yes, if a person continues asking, that person will receive. If a person continues looking, that person will find. And if a person continues knocking, the door will open for that person.

⁹ “Do any of you have a son? If your son asked for bread, would you give him a rock? No!

¹⁰ Or if your son asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? No!

¹¹ \{You are not like God\}—you are evil. But you know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those people that ask him.

¹² “Do to other people the same things you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law \{of Moses\} and the \{teaching of the\} prophets. {\cf2\super [83]}

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate \{that opens the way to heaven\}. The road that leads to hell is a very easy road. And the gate to hell is very wide. Many people enter that gate.

¹⁴ But the gate that opens the way to \{true\} life is very small. And the road to \{true\} life is very difficult (hard). Only a few people find that road.

¹⁵ “Be careful of false prophets. {\cf2\super [84]} They come to you and look \{gentle\} like sheep. But they are really dangerous \{like\} wolves.

¹⁶ You will know these people because of the things they do. Good things don’t come from bad people, the same as grapes don’t come from thorn bushes. And figs don’t come from thorny weeds.

¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree makes good fruit. And bad trees make bad fruit.

¹⁸ A good tree cannot make bad fruit. And a bad tree cannot make good fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that does not make good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

²⁰ You will know these false people by the fruit they make (things they do).

²¹ “Not every person that says that I am his Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people that will enter the kingdom of heaven are those people that do the things that my Father in heaven wants.

²² On the last day many people will say to me, ‘You are our Lord! We spoke for you. And for you we forced out demons {\cf2\super [85]} and did many miracles. {\cf2\super [86]} ’

²³ Then I will tell those people clearly, ‘Go away from me, you people that do wrong. I never knew you.’

²⁴ “Every person that hears these things I say and obeys is like a wise man. The wise man built his house on rock.

²⁵ It rained hard and the water rose. The winds blew and hit that house. But the house did not fall, because the house was built on rock.

²⁶ But the person that hears the things I teach and does not obey those things is like a foolish man. The foolish man built his house on sand.

²⁷ It rained hard, the water rose, and the winds blew and hit that house. And the house fell with a loud noise.”

²⁸ When Jesus finished saying these things, the people were amazed at his teaching.

²⁹ Jesus did not teach like their teachers of the law. Jesus taught like a person that had authority (power).