People from many places come to Jesus
17 After Jesus had chosen these 12 men, they all came down the mountain. He stopped and he stood on a flat place. A large crowd of his disciples stood around him. There were also many people from Jerusalem, and from other towns of Judea, and from places on the coast near Tyre and Sidon. 18 These people had all come to hear Jesus teach. Those people who were ill wanted him to make them well. He also made well those people who had bad spirits. 19 All the people were trying to touch him, because he was using great power to make each person well.
20 Jesus looked at his disciples. He spoke this message to them:
‘Happy are you people who are poor.
The kingdom of God belongs to you.
21 Happy are you people who are hungry now.
God will feed you until you are full.
Happy are you people who are crying now.
Later, you will laugh.
6:21See Matthew 5:3-6. Jesus is talking about people who know that they need God to help them. ‘Happy’ here means that God has blessed people who are like this. They may not always feel happy, but they are in a good place, a happy place. God will take care of them. 22 People may hate you, because you believe in me, the Son of Man. They may say bad things against you and chase you away from them. They may say that you are very bad. When that happens, be happy. 23 God will prepare many good things for you in heaven. So be very happy when people do these bad things to you! Jump up and down because you are so happy. Their ancestors did the same bad things to God's prophets long ago.
24 Listen, you people who are rich.
You have a comfortable life now,
but it will be very bad for you.
25 Listen, you people who have plenty of food to eat now.
It will be very bad for you and you will be hungry.
Listen, you people who are laughing now.
It will be very bad for you.
You will be sad and you will cry.
26 If people always say good things about you now, it will be very bad for you. Their ancestors also said good things about the false prophets long ago.’
Love people who want to hurt you
27 Jesus then said, ‘I say this to you who are listening carefully to me. Love the people who want to hurt you. Do good things to people that hate you. 28 Say good things to people that say bad things against you. Pray for people who give you pain.
29 Someone may hit you on one side of your face. Then you should let him hit the other side of your face too. Someone may take away your coat. If he does, do not stop him from taking your shirt too. 30 When anyone asks you for something, give it to him. Someone may take something that belongs to you. If he does, let him keep it. Do not ask to have it back again. 31 Do the good things for other people that you would want them to do for you.
32 Do you only love people who love you? God will not praise you for doing that! Even bad people love those people who love them. 33 Do you only do good things to people that do good things to you? God will not praise you for doing that! Even bad people do the same thing. 34 Do you lend things only to people who will give your things back to you? God will not praise you for doing that! Even bad people lend things to other people when they believe that they will get them back again.
35 But I am telling you to love people who want to hurt you. Do good things to them. Lend things to people even though you may not receive your things back again. Then God will prepare good things for you. He is kind even to people who do not say “thank you”. He is kind even to very bad people. If you live like this, you will show that you really are children of the powerful God who is over all. 36 You should be kind to other people, as God your Father is kind.
