Matthew 6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
How to Give
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness[a] in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from 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. I assure you: They’ve got 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. I assure you: They’ve got 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 idolaters,[d] 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 Model 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.[e]
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.(J)
13 And do not bring us into[f] temptation,(K)
but deliver us from the evil one.[g](L)
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.][h]
14 “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing,[i] your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.(M) 15 But if you don’t forgive people,[j] your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.[k]
How to Fast
16 “Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive[l](N) so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face,(O) 18 so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[m]
God and Possessions
19 “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures[n] on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.(P) 20 But collect 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 good, 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 be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.(S)
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “This is why 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 Look at 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 a single cubit to his height[o] by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Learn 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 idolaters[p] eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God[q](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
- Matthew 6:1 Other mss read charitable giving
- Matthew 6:4 Other mss read will Himself reward you openly
- Matthew 6:6 Other mss add openly
- Matthew 6:7 Or Gentiles, or nations, or heathen, or pagans
- Matthew 6:11 Or our necessary bread, or our bread for tomorrow
- Matthew 6:13 Or do not cause us to come into
- Matthew 6:13 Or from evil
- Matthew 6:13 Other mss omit bracketed text
- Matthew 6:14 Or trespasses
- Matthew 6:15 Other mss add their wrongdoing
- Matthew 6:15 Or trespasses
- Matthew 6:16 Or unrecognizable, or disfigured
- Matthew 6:18 Other mss add openly
- Matthew 6:19 Or valuables
- Matthew 6:27 Or add one moment to his life-span
- Matthew 6:32 Or Gentiles, or nations, or heathen, or pagans
- Matthew 6:33 Other mss omit of God
Matthew 6
Revised Standard Version
Concerning Almsgiving
6 “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Concerning Prayer
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread;[a]
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors;
13 And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.[b]
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Concerning Fasting
16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Concerning Treasures
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[c] consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust[d] consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The Sound Eye
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Serving Two Masters
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.[e]
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?[f] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for the morrow
- Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one. Other authorities, some ancient, add, in some form, For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.
- Matthew 6:19 Or worm
- Matthew 6:20 Or worm
- Matthew 6:24 Mammon is a Semitic word for money or riches
- Matthew 6:27 Or to his stature
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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.