Charitable Giving to the Poor and Prayer

“Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, (A)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

“So when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they (B)will be praised by people. (C)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and (D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to (E)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners (F)so that they [c]will be seen by people. (G)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But as for you, when you pray, (H)go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and (I)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their (J)many words. So do not be like them; for (K)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

The Lord’s Prayer

(L)Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
[d]Hallowed be Your name.
10 [e](M)Your kingdom come.
(N)Your will be done,
[f]On earth as it is in heaven.
11 (O)Give us this day [g]our daily bread.
12 And (P)forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but (Q)deliver us from [h](R)evil.[i]

14 (S)For if you forgive other people for their [j]offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (T)if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your [k]offenses.

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth

16 “Now (U)whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [l]distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. (V)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But as for you, when you fast, [m](W)anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your (X)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

19 (Y)Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves (Z)treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for (AA)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 (AB)The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is [n]clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if (AC)your eye is [o]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 (AD)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [p](AE)wealth.

The Cure for Anxiety

25 (AF)For this reason I say to you, [q]do not be (AG)worried about your [r]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (AH)Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? 27 And which of you by (AI)worrying can (AJ)add a single [s]day to his [t]life’s span? 28 And why are you (AK)worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even (AL)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (AM)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (AN)You of little faith! 31 Do not (AO)worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for (AP)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [u]seek first [v]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (AQ)all these things will be [w]provided to you.

34 “So do not (AR)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [x]worry about itself. [y]Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:2 Lit make a charitable gift
  2. Matthew 6:3 Lit make a charitable gift
  3. Matthew 6:5 Lit may show themselves to
  4. Matthew 6:9 I.e., treated as sacred or holy
  5. Matthew 6:10 Or May Your...come
  6. Matthew 6:10 Lit as in heaven, also on earth
  7. Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
  8. Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one
  9. Matthew 6:13 Late mss add For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
  10. Matthew 6:14 Or wrongdoings
  11. Matthew 6:15 Or wrongdoings
  12. Matthew 6:16 I.e., leave unwashed, or discolor their faces with makeup
  13. Matthew 6:17 I.e., rub oil in the hair
  14. Matthew 6:22 Or healthy; or sincere
  15. Matthew 6:23 Or evil
  16. Matthew 6:24 Gr mamonas, for Aramaic mamon (mammon); i.e., wealth etc. personified as an object of worship
  17. Matthew 6:25 Or stop being worried
  18. Matthew 6:25 Lit soul
  19. Matthew 6:27 Lit cubit (about 18 in. or 45 cm)
  20. Matthew 6:27 Or height
  21. Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek
  22. Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom
  23. Matthew 6:33 Or added
  24. Matthew 6:34 Or look after itself
  25. Matthew 6:34 Lit Sufficient for the day is its evil

`Take heed your kindness not to do before men, to be seen by them, and if not -- reward ye have not from your Father who [is] in the heavens;

whenever, therefore, thou mayest do kindness, thou mayest not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory from men; verily I say to you -- they have their reward!

`But thou, doing kindness, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth,

that thy kindness may be in secret, and thy Father who is seeing in secret Himself shall reward thee manifestly.

`And when thou mayest pray, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, because they love in the synagogues, and in the corners of the broad places -- standing -- to pray, that they may be seen of men; verily I say to you, that they have their reward.

`But thou, when thou mayest pray, go into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who [is] in secret, and thy Father who is seeing in secret, shall reward thee manifestly.

`And -- praying -- ye may not use vain repetitions like the nations, for they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard,

be ye not therefore like to them, for your Father doth know those things that ye have need of before your asking him;

thus therefore pray ye: `Our Father who [art] in the heavens! hallowed be Thy name.

10 `Thy reign come: Thy will come to pass, as in heaven also on the earth.

11 `Our appointed bread give us to-day.

12 `And forgive us our debts, as also we forgive our debtors.

13 `And mayest Thou not lead us to temptation, but deliver us from the evil, because Thine is the reign, and the power, and the glory -- to the ages. Amen.

14 `For, if ye may forgive men their trespasses He also will forgive you -- your Father who [is] in the heavens;

15 but if ye may not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 `And when ye may fast, be ye not as the hypocrites, of sour countenances, for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men fasting; verily I say to you, that they have their reward.

17 `But thou, fasting, anoint thy head, and wash thy face,

18 that thou mayest not appear to men fasting, but to thy Father who [is] in secret, and thy Father, who is seeing in secret, shall reward thee manifestly.

19 `Treasure not up to yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break through and steal,

20 but treasure up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth disfigure, and where thieves do not break through nor steal,

21 for where your treasure is, there will be also your heart.

22 `The lamp of the body is the eye, if, therefore, thine eye may be perfect, all thy body shall be enlightened,

23 but if thine eye may be evil, all thy body shall be dark; if, therefore, the light that [is] in thee is darkness -- the darkness, how great!

24 `None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.

25 `Because of this I say to you, be not anxious for your life, what ye may eat, and what ye may drink, nor for your body, what ye may put on. Is not the life more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing?

26 look to the fowls of the heaven, for they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into storehouses, and your heavenly Father doth nourish them; are not ye much better than they?

27 `And who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?

28 and about clothing why are ye anxious? consider well the lilies of the field; how do they grow? they do not labour, nor do they spin;

29 and I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.

30 `And if the herb of the field, that to-day is, and to-morrow is cast to the furnace, God doth so clothe -- not much more you, O ye of little faith?

31 therefore ye may not be anxious, saying, What may we eat? or, What may we drink? or, What may we put round?

32 for all these do the nations seek for, for your heavenly Father doth know that ye have need of all these;

33 but seek ye first the reign of God and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.

34 Be not therefore anxious for the morrow, for the morrow shall be anxious for its own things; sufficient for the day [is] the evil of it.