<P> Matthew 5: 29 is the twenty - ninth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount . It is the third verse of the discussion of adultery . Jesus has just stated that looking at a woman in lust is equal to the act of adultery itself and in this verse he recommends gouging out one's eye to prevent sinning . </P> <P> In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: </P> <Dl> <Dd> And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, </Dd> <Dd> and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for </Dd> <Dd> thee that one of thy members should perish, and </Dd> <Dd> not that thy whole body should be cast into hell . </Dd> </Dl>

If my right eye offend thee pluck it out