Prayer^(A)

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing^(B) in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,^(C) who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling^(D) like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.^{(E) 8} Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need^(F) before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble,^(A) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,^(B) where the fire never goes out.^{(C) [44] [a] 45} And if your foot causes you to stumble,^(D) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.^{(E) [46] [b] 47} And if your eye causes you to stumble,^(F) pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,^{(G) 48} where

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted^(I) with fire.

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?^(J) Have salt among yourselves,^(K) and be at peace with each other.”^(L)

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate^(A) with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world^(B) who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^[a](C) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater^(D) or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.^(E)

¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside^(F) the church? Are you not to judge those inside?^{(G) 13} God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”^[b](H)