²⁸ But he said, More happy are they who give hearing to the word of God and keep it.

²¹ But he said to them in answer, My mother and my brothers are those who have knowledge of the word of God and do it.

⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and gives ear to my words and does them, I will make clear to you what he is like:

⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house, who went deep and put the base of it on a rock; and when the water came up and the river was driving against that house, it was not moved, because the building was good.

²¹ For this reason, putting away all dirty behaviour and the overweight of evil, take into your souls without pride the word which, being planted there, is able to give you salvation.

²² But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas.

²³ Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a glass;

²⁴ For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like.

²⁵ But he who goes on looking into the true law which makes him free, being not a hearer without memory but a doer putting it into effect, this man will have a blessing on his acts.

¹⁷ The Lord who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel, says, I am the Lord your God, who is teaching you for your profit, guiding you by the way in which you are to go.

¹⁸ If only you had given ear to my orders, then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea:

¹ Let the Lord be praised. Happy is the man who gives honour to the Lord, and has great delight in his laws.

²¹ Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will go into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the pleasure of my Father in heaven.

²² A great number will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, were we not prophets in your name, and did we not by your name send out evil spirits, and by your name do works of power?

²³ And then will I say to them, I never had knowledge of you: go from me, you workers of evil.

²⁴ Everyone, then, to whom my words come and who does them, will be like a wise man who made his house on a rock;

²⁵ And the rain came down and there was a rush of waters and the winds were driving against that house, but it was not moved; because it was based on the rock.

¹ Happy is the man who does not go in the company of sinners, or take his place in the way of evil-doers, or in the seat of those who do not give honour to the Lord.

² But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and whose mind is on his law day and night.

³ He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time, whose leaves will ever be green; and he will do well in all his undertakings.

¹⁷ If these things are clear to you, happy are you if you do them.

¹ <ALEPH> Happy are they who are without sin in their ways, walking in the law of the Lord.

² Happy are they who keep his unchanging word, searching after him with all their heart.

³ They do no evil; they go in his ways.

⁴ You have put your orders into our hearts, so that we might keep them with care.

⁵ If only my ways were ordered so that I might keep your rules!

⁶ Then I would not be put to shame, as long as I have respect for all your teaching.

²¹ My loved ones, if our heart does not say that we have done wrong, we have no fear before him;

²² And he gives us all our requests, because we keep his laws and do the things which are pleasing in his eyes.

²³ And this is his law, that we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love for one another, even as he said to us.

²⁴ He who keeps his laws is in God and God is in him. And the Spirit which he gave us is our witness that he is in us.

⁴⁸ But he in answer said to him who gave the news, Who is my mother and who are my brothers?

⁴⁹ And he put out his hand to his disciples and said, See, my mother and my brothers!

⁵⁰ For whoever does the pleasure of my Father in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

¹ <A Song of the going up.> Happy is the worshipper of the Lord, who is walking in his ways.

¹⁴ A blessing on those whose robes are washed, so that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may go in by the doors into the town.