Matthew 6
New American Standard Bible 1995
Giving to the Poor and Prayer
6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men (A)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they (B)may be honored by men. (C)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your [c]giving will be in secret; and (D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “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 [d](F)so that they may be seen by men. (G)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But 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.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their (J)many words. 8 So do not be like them; for (K)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “(L)Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘(M)Your kingdom come.
(N)Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘(O)Give us this day [e]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 [f](R)evil. [g][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
14 (S)For if you forgive [h]others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (T)if you do not forgive [i]others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Mammon)
16 “(U)Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [j]neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. (V)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, (W)anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, 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 [k]clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if (AC)your eye is [l]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then 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 [m](AE)wealth.
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “(AF)For this reason I say to you, [n]do not be (AG)worried about your [o]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (AH)Look at the birds of the [p]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being (AI)worried can (AJ)add a single [q]hour to his [r]life? 28 And why are you (AK)worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 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 will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we 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 [s]seek first [t]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (AQ)all these things will be [u]added to you.
34 “So do not (AR)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [v]care for itself. [w]Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:2 Or give alms
- Matthew 6:3 Or give alms
- Matthew 6:4 Or alms
- Matthew 6:5 Lit to be apparent to men
- Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
- Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one
- Matthew 6:13 This clause not found in early mss
- Matthew 6:14 Gr anthropoi
- Matthew 6:15 Gr anthropoi
- Matthew 6:16 Lit distort their faces, i.e. discolor their faces with makeup
- Matthew 6:22 Or healthy; or sincere
- Matthew 6:23 Or evil
- Matthew 6:24 Gr mamonas, for Aram mamon (mammon); i.e. wealth, etc., personified as an object of worship
- Matthew 6:25 Or stop being worried
- Matthew 6:25 Lit soul
- Matthew 6:26 Lit heaven
- Matthew 6:27 Lit cubit (approx 18 in.)
- Matthew 6:27 Or height
- Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek
- Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom
- Matthew 6:33 Or provided
- Matthew 6:34 Lit worry about itself
- Matthew 6:34 Lit Sufficient for the day is its evils
Matthew 6
Young's Literal Translation
6 `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;
2 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!
3 `But thou, doing kindness, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth,
4 that thy kindness may be in secret, and thy Father who is seeing in secret Himself shall reward thee manifestly.
5 `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.
6 `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.
7 `And -- praying -- ye may not use vain repetitions like the nations, for they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard,
8 be ye not therefore like to them, for your Father doth know those things that ye have need of before your asking him;
9 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.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
