1“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. 3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? 4Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? 5You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6“Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
7“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. 8For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. 9Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? 11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 12Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
13“Enter in by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in by it. 14How narrow is the gate and the way is restricted that leads to life! There are few who find it.
15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 16By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every good tree produces good fruit, but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. 18A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. 19Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ 23Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
24“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. 25The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26Everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell—and its fall was great.”
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching, 29for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.
Picturesque Speech
Vivid or overstated language
"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye?" Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."
Puns
A play on words
John 3:8, interchange of wind and Spirit, which are the same word in the Greek Matt 23:24, gnat (qalma') and camel (gamla') are used in reacting to a Pharisee observance of Lev 11:41f.
Proverbs
Not to be understood as absolutes; they stress one side of a truth.
Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes. Matt 7:1 with Matt 7:6
"Judge not, that you be not judged."
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."
Poetry
Hebrew poetry is not based on rhyme or meter as is commonly done today but is concerned with balance of thought. Jesus used this form. There are various kinds of poetical form:
Luke 6:27-28 Synonymous
But I say to you who hear:
Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
and pray for those who spitefully use you.
Mark 8:35 Antithetic
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.
Luke 9:48 Stairlike or climactic
"Whoever receives this little child in My name receives me;
and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
For he who is least among you all will be great."
Luke 17:26-30 Double parallel stanzas
26 As it was in the days of Noah, even so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man.
27 They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky and destroyed them all.
30 It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
See Bruce Metzger, Introduction to the New Testament.