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

The Sermon on the Mount: Charitable Giving

“And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; otherwise[a] you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! But you, when you[b] practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, in order that your charitable giving may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Sermon on the Mount: How to Pray

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and[c] pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door and[d] pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“But when you[e] pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need[f] before you ask him. Therefore you pray in this way:

“Our Father who is in heaven,
may your name be treated as 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 debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.[g]

14 For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

The Sermon on the Mount: How to Fast

16 “Whenever you fast, do not be sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unrecognizable in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! 17 But when[h] you are fasting, put olive oil on your head[i] and wash your face 18 so that you will not be seen by people as fasting, but to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Sermon on the Mount: Treasure in Heaven

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and consuming insect[j] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor consuming insect[k] destroy and where thieves do not break in or steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore if your eye is sincere, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one is able to 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 are not able to serve God and money.[l]

The Sermon on the Mount: Anxiety

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat,[m] and not for your body, what you will wear. Is your life not more than food and your body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky, that they do not sow or reap or gather produce into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? 27 And who among you, by[n] being anxious, is able to add one hour[o] to his life span? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not toil or spin, 29 but I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. 30 But if God dresses the grass of the field in this way, although it[p] is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not do so much more for you, you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?,’ 32 for the pagans seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first his kingdom and righteousness,[q] and all these things will be added to you. 34 Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, because tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.[r]

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:1 Literally “but if not”
  2. Matthew 6:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“practice”) which is understood as temporal
  3. Matthew 6:5 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stand”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Matthew 6:6 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“shut”) has been translated as a finite verb
  5. Matthew 6:7 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“pray”) which is understood as temporal
  6. Matthew 6:8 Literally “of what you have need”
  7. Matthew 6:13 Or “evil”; most later Greek manuscripts add the phrase “for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen”
  8. Matthew 6:17 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“fasting”) which is understood as temporal
  9. Matthew 6:17 Literally “anoint your head”
  10. Matthew 6:19 Traditionally “rust,” but more likely in this context along with “moth” the term refers to “eating” by other types of insects or vermin
  11. Matthew 6:20 Traditionally “rust,” but more likely in this context along with “moth” the term refers to “eating” by other types of insects or vermin
  12. Matthew 6:24 Traditionally transliterated from the Greek as “mammon”
  13. Matthew 6:25 Some manuscripts add “or what you will drink”; other later manuscripts add “and what you will drink”
  14. Matthew 6:27 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“being anxious”) which is understood as means
  15. Matthew 6:27 Or “cubit”
  16. Matthew 6:30 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is”) which is understood as concessive
  17. Matthew 6:33 Some manuscripts have “the kingdom of God and his righteousness”
  18. Matthew 6:34 Literally “sufficient for the day its trouble”