Matthew 6
Christian Standard Bible
How to Give
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness[a] in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.(A) 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[b](B)
How to Pray
5 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.(C) 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[c](D) 7 When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.(E) 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.(F)
The Lord’s Prayer
9 “Therefore, you should pray like this: (G)
Our Father in heaven,
your name be honored as holy.(H)
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.(I)
11 Give us today our daily bread.[d]
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.(J)
13 And do not bring us into[e] temptation,(K)
but deliver us from the evil one.[f](L)
14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.(M) 15 But if you don’t forgive others,[g] your Father will not forgive your offenses.
How to Fast
16 “Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces (N) so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,(O) 18 so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[h]
God and Possessions
19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures[i] on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.(P) 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,(Q) where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness!(R)
24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (S)
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “Therefore I tell you:(T) Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?(U) 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?(V) 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span[j] by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith?(W) 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God[k](X) and his righteousness,(Y) and all these things will be provided for you.(Z) 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble(AA) of its own.
Footnotes
- 6:1 Other mss read charitable giving
- 6:4 Other mss read will himself reward you openly
- 6:6 Other mss add openly
- 6:11 Or our necessary bread, or our bread for tomorrow
- 6:13 Or do not cause us to come into
- 6:13 Or from evil; some later mss add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
- 6:15 Other mss add their wrongdoing
- 6:18 Other mss add openly
- 6:19 Or valuables
- 6:27 Or add a single cubit to his height
- 6:33 Other mss omit of God
Matthew 6
Darby Translation
6 Take heed not to do your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens.
2 When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does;
4 so that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render [it] to thee.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets so that they should appear to men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But *thou*, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render [it] to thee.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as those who are of the nations: for they think they shall be heard through their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like them, for your Father knows of what things ye have need before ye beg [anything] of him.
9 Thus therefore pray *ye*: Our Father who art in the heavens, let thy name be sanctified,
10 let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth;
11 give us to-day our needed bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors,
13 and lead us not into temptation, but save us from evil.
14 For if ye forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father also will forgive you [yours],
15 but if ye do not forgive men their offences, neither will your Father forgive your offences.
16 And when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, downcast in countenance; for they disfigure their faces, so that they may appear fasting to men: verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But *thou*, [when] fasting, anoint thy head and wash thy face,
18 so that thou mayest not appear fasting unto men, but to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who sees in secret shall render [it] to thee.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust spoils, and where thieves dig through and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust spoils, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal;
21 for where thy treasure is, there will be also thy heart.
22 The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body will be light:
23 but if thine eye be wicked, thy whole body will be dark. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great the darkness!
24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 For this cause I say unto you, Do not be careful about your life, what ye should eat and what ye should drink; nor for your body what ye should put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than raiment?
26 Look at the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, nor reap, nor gather into granaries, and your heavenly Father nourishes them. Are *ye* not much more excellent than they?
27 But which of you by carefulness can add to his growth one cubit?
28 And why are ye careful about clothing? Observe with attention the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin;
29 but I say unto you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these.
30 But if God so clothe the herbage of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into [the] oven, will he not much rather you, O [ye] of little faith?
31 Be not therefore careful, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we put on?
32 for all these things the nations seek after; for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Be not careful therefore for the morrow, for the morrow shall be careful about itself. Sufficient to the day [is] its own evil.
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