You Cannot Serve God and Riches

24 (A)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. (B)You cannot serve God and [a]mammon.

Do Not Worry(C)

25 “Therefore I say to you, (D)do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 (E)Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [b]cubit to his [c]stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [d]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But (F)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:24 Lit., in Aram., riches
  2. Matthew 6:27 About 18 inches
  3. Matthew 6:27 height
  4. Matthew 6:29 dressed

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.(A)

Do Not Worry(B)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry(C) about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.(D) Are you not much more valuable than they?(E) 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?(F)

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor(G) was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?(H) 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.(I) 33 But seek first his kingdom(J) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.(K) 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:27 Or single cubit to your height

The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?(A)

34 (B)But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, (C)a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, (D)“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: (E)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 (F)On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

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The Greatest Commandment(A)

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,(B) the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law,(C) tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a](D) 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b](E) 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”(F)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
  2. Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

(A)“My son, do not despise the [a]chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For (B)whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

(C)If[b] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what (D)son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, (E)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to (F)the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, (G)that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no [c]chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields (H)the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 12:5 discipline
  2. Hebrews 12:7 NU, M It is for discipline that you endure; God
  3. Hebrews 12:11 discipline

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart(A) when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,(B)
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a](C)

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.(D) For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline(E)—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits(F) and live!(G) 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.(H) 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace(I) for those who have been trained by it.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 12:6 Prov. 3:11,12 (see Septuagint)