Matthew 6
Lexham English Bible
The Sermon on the Mount: Charitable Giving
6 “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. 2 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! 3 But you, when you[b] practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 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
5 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! 6 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.
7 “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. 8 Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need[f] before you ask him. 9 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
- Matthew 6:1 Literally “but if not”
- Matthew 6:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“practice”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 6:5 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stand”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 6:6 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“shut”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 6:7 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“pray”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 6:8 Literally “of what you have need”
- 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”
- Matthew 6:17 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“fasting”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 6:17 Literally “anoint your head”
- 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
- 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
- Matthew 6:24 Traditionally transliterated from the Greek as “mammon”
- Matthew 6:25 Some manuscripts add “or what you will drink”; other later manuscripts add “and what you will drink”
- Matthew 6:27 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“being anxious”) which is understood as means
- Matthew 6:27 Or “cubit”
- Matthew 6:30 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is”) which is understood as concessive
- Matthew 6:33 Some manuscripts have “the kingdom of God and his righteousness”
- Matthew 6:34 Literally “sufficient for the day its trouble”
Matthew 6
English Standard Version
Giving to the Needy
6 “Beware of (A)practicing your righteousness before other people in order (B)to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 (C)“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may (D)be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have (E)received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. (F)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The Lord's Prayer
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love (G)to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. (H)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, (I)go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. (J)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as (K)the Gentiles do, for (L)they think that they will be heard (M)for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, (N)for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 (O)Pray then like this:
(P)“Our Father in heaven,
(Q)hallowed be (R)your name.[a]
10 (S)Your kingdom come,
(T)your will be done,[b]
(U)on earth as it is in heaven.
11 (V)Give us (W)this day our daily bread,[c]
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And (X)lead us not into temptation,
but (Y)deliver us from (Z)evil.[d]
14 (AA)For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 (AB)but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Fasting
16 “And (AC)when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. (AD)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, (AE)anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. (AF)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 (AG)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where (AH)moth and rust[e] destroy and where thieves (AI)break in and steal, 20 (AJ)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 (AK)“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 (AL)but if (AM)your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 (AN)“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 (AO)money.[f]
Do Not Be Anxious
25 (AP)“Therefore I tell you, (AQ)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (AR)Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. (AS)Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his (AT)span of life?[g] 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, (AU)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, (AV)O you 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 (AW)the Gentiles seek after all these things, and (AX)your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But (AY)seek first (AZ)the kingdom of God and his righteousness, (BA)and all these things will be added to you.
34 (BB)“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:9 Or Let your name be kept holy, or Let your name be treated with reverence
- Matthew 6:10 Or Let your kingdom come, let your will be done
- Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
- Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one; some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen
- Matthew 6:19 Or worm; also verse 20
- Matthew 6:24 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions
- Matthew 6:27 Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
Matthew 6
Wycliffe Bible
6 Take heed, that ye do not your rightwiseness before men, to be seen of them, else ye shall have no meed at your Father that is in heavens [else ye shall not have meed of your Father which is in heavens].
2 Therefore when thou doest alms, do not thou trumpet before thee, as hypocrites do in synagogues and streets, that they be worshipped of men[a]; soothly I say to you, they have received their meed.
3 But when thou doest alms, know not thy left hand what thy right hand doeth,
4 that thine alms be in huddles, and thy Father that seeth in huddles, shall requite thee [shall yield to thee].
5 And when ye pray, ye shall not be as hypocrites, that love to pray standing in synagogues and [in] corners of streets, to be seen of men [that they be seen of men]; truly I say to you, they have received their meed.
6 But when thou shalt pray, enter into thy bedchamber, and when the door is shut, pray thy Father in huddles, and thy Father that seeth in huddles, shall yield to thee.
7 But in praying do not ye speak much, as heathen men do, for they guess that they be heard in their much speech.
8 Therefore do not ye be made like to them, for your Father knoweth what is need to you [for your Father knoweth what is needful to you], before that ye ask him.
9 And thus ye shall pray, Our Father that art in heavens, hallowed be thy name;
10 thy kingdom come to; be thy will done in earth as it is in heaven[b];
11 give to us this day our each day's bread;
12 and forgive to us our debts, as we forgive to our debtors;
13 and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive to men their sins, [and] your heavenly Father shall forgive to you your trespasses. [Forsooth if ye shall forgive to men their sins, and your heavenly Father shall forgive to you your sins.]
15 Soothly if ye forgive not to men [the sins of them], neither your Father shall forgive to you your sins.
16 But when ye fast, do not ye be made as hypocrites sorrowful, for they deface themselves, to seem fasting to men [for they put their faces out of natural terms, that they seem fasting to men]; truly I say to you, they have received their meed.
17 But when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face,
18 that thou be not seen fasting to men, but to thy Father that is in huddles, and thy Father that seeth in privy [and thy Father that seeth in huddles], shall yield to thee.
19 Do not ye treasure to you treasures [here] in earth, where rust and moth destroyeth, and where thieves delve out and steal;
20 but gather to you treasures in heaven [but treasure to you treasures in heaven], where neither rust nor moth destroyeth, and where thieves delve not out, nor steal.
21 For where thy treasure is, there also thine heart is.
22 The lantern of thy body is thine eye; if thine eye be simple, all thy body shall be light-full;
23 but if thine eye be wayward, all thy body shall be dark[-full]. If then the light that is in thee be darknesses, how great shall those darknesses be? [but if thine eye be wayward, all thy body shall be dark-full. Therefore if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great shall those darknesses be?]
24 No man may serve two lords, for either he shall hate the one, and love the other; either he shall sustain the one [or he shall sustain the one], and despise the other. Ye be not able to serve God and riches.
25 Therefore I say to you, that ye be not busy to your life, what ye shall eat; nor to your body, with what ye shall be clothed [or to your body, with what ye shall be clad]. Whether [the] life is not more than meat, and the body more than the cloak [and the body more than cloth]?
26 Behold ye the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither reap, neither gather into barns [nor gather into barns]; and your Father of heaven feedeth them. Whether ye be not more worthy than they [Whether ye be not more worth than they]?
27 But who of you thinking may put to his stature one cubit? [Soothly who of you by thinking may add to his stature one cubit?]
28 And of clothing what be ye busy? Behold the lilies of the field, how they wax. They travail not, neither they spin;
29 and I say to you, that Solomon in all his glory was not covered as one of these.
30 And if God clotheth thus the hay of the field, that to day is, and to morrow is cast into an oven [and to morrow is sent into the furnace], how much more you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not ye be busy, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what thing shall we be covered [or, With what shall we be covered]?
32 For heathen men seek all these things; and your Father knoweth, that ye have need to all these things.
33 Therefore seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his rightwiseness, and all these things shall be cast to you.
34 Therefore do not ye be busy into the morrow, for the morrow shall be busy to itself; for it sufficeth to the day his own malice.
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:2 Therefore when thou doest alms, do not thou sing before thee with a trump, as hypocrites do in synagogues and streets, that they be made worshipful of men
- Matthew 6:10 thy will be done as in heaven and in earth/be thy will done as in heaven so in earth
Matthew 6
New American Standard Bible
Charitable Giving to the Poor and Prayer
6 “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.
2 “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. 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 charitable giving will be in secret; and (D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “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. 6 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.
7 “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. 8 So do not be like them; for (K)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
The Lord’s Prayer
9 “(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
- Matthew 6:2 Lit make a charitable gift
- Matthew 6:3 Lit make a charitable gift
- Matthew 6:5 Lit may show themselves to
- Matthew 6:9 I.e., treated as sacred or holy
- Matthew 6:10 Or May Your...come
- Matthew 6:10 Lit as in heaven, also on earth
- Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
- Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one
- Matthew 6:13 Late mss add For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
- Matthew 6:14 Or wrongdoings
- Matthew 6:15 Or wrongdoings
- Matthew 6:16 I.e., leave unwashed, or discolor their faces with makeup
- Matthew 6:17 I.e., rub oil in the hair
- Matthew 6:22 Or healthy; or sincere
- Matthew 6:23 Or evil
- Matthew 6:24 Gr mamonas, for Aramaic 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 6:27 Lit cubit (about 18 in. or 45 cm)
- Matthew 6:27 Or height
- Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek
- Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom
- Matthew 6:33 Or added
- Matthew 6:34 Or look after itself
- Matthew 6:34 Lit Sufficient for the day is its evil
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2001 by Terence P. Noble
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