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
International Standard Version
Teaching about Giving to the Poor
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people in order to be noticed by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you[a] with certainty, they have their full reward! 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 done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”[b]
Teaching about Prayer(A)
5 “And whenever you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell all of you[c] with certainty, they have their full reward! 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees from the hidden place will reward you.[d]
7 “When you are praying, don’t say meaningless things[e] like the unbelievers[f] do, because they think they will be heard by being so wordy. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Therefore, this is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your kingdom come.
May your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our sins,[g]
as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.[h]
13 And never bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’[i]
14 Because if you forgive people their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive people their offenses,[j] your Father will not forgive your offenses.”
Teaching about Fasting
16 “Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of you[k] with certainty, they have their full reward! 17 But when you fast, put oil on[l] your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by others but by your Father who is in the hidden place. And your Father who watches from the hidden place will reward you.”[m]
Teaching about Treasures(B)
19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, 21 because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The Lamp of the Body(C)
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!”
God and Riches(D)
24 “No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”[n]
Stop Worrying(E)
25 “That’s why I’m telling you to stop worrying about your life—what you will eat or what you will drink[o]—or about your body—what you will wear. Life is more than food, isn’t it, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant or harvest or gather food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than they are, aren’t you? 27 Can any of you add a single hour to the length of your life[p] by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They don’t work or spin yarn, 29 but I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 Now if that is the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, won’t he clothe you much better—you who have little faith?
31 “So don’t ever worry by saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 because it is the unbelievers[q] who are eager for all those things. Surely your heavenly Father knows that you need all of them! 33 But first be concerned about God’s kingdom and his righteousness,[r] and all of these things will be provided for you as well. 34 So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:2 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
- Matthew 6:4 Other mss. read reward you openly
- Matthew 6:5 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
- Matthew 6:6 Other mss. read reward you openly
- Matthew 6:7 Or words
- Matthew 6:7 Lit. gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
- Matthew 6:12 Or debts
- Matthew 6:12 Or forgiven our debtors
- Matthew 6:13 Other mss. read evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
- Matthew 6:15 Other mss. lack their offenses
- Matthew 6:16 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
- Matthew 6:17 Or anoint
- Matthew 6:18 Other mss. read reward you openly
- Matthew 6:24 Lit. mammon; i.e. wealth
- Matthew 6:25 Other mss. lack or what you will drink
- Matthew 6:27 Or add one cubit to your height
- Matthew 6:32 Lit. gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
- Matthew 6:33 Other mss. read his kingdom and righteousness
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