Matthew 6
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Sermon on a Mountain Continues: Don’t Do Good Works to Be Praised by People
6 “Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. 2 So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. 3 When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.
The Lord’s Prayer(A)
5 “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. 6 When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t ramble like heathens who think they’ll be heard if they talk a lot. 8 Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
let your name be kept holy.
10 Let your kingdom come.
Let your will be done on earth
as it is done in heaven.
11 Give us our daily bread today.
12 Forgive us as we forgive others.
13 Don’t allow us to be tempted.
Instead, rescue us from the evil one.[a]
14 “If you forgive the failures of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failures.
Fasting
16 “When you fast, stop looking sad like hypocrites. They put on sad faces to make it obvious that they’re fasting. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. 17 When you fast, wash your face and comb your hair. 18 Then your fasting won’t be obvious. Instead, it will be obvious to your Father who is with you in private. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.
True Riches
19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust don’t destroy and thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 Your heart will be where your treasure is.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in you is darkness, how dark it will be!
24 “No one can serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Stop Worrying(B)
25 “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?
26 “Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
27 “Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?
28 “And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. 29 But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 30 That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
31 “Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. 33 But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
34 “So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Footnotes
- 6:13 Or “rescue us from evil.”
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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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
