The Model Prayer(A)

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the [a]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, (B)go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [b]openly. And when you pray, (C)do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. (D)For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father (E)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this (F)manner, therefore, pray:

(G)Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your (H)name.
10 Your kingdom come.
(I)Your will be done
On earth (J)as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our (K)daily bread.
12 And (L)forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 (M)And do not lead us into temptation,
But (N)deliver us from the evil one.
[c]For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14 (O)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (P)if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting to Be Seen Only by God

16 “Moreover, (Q)when you fast, do not be like the [d]hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, (R)anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [e]openly.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven(S)

19 (T)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 (U)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.

The Lamp of the Body(V)

22 (W)“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is [f]good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is [g]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches

24 (X)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. (Y)You cannot serve God and [h]mammon.

Do Not Worry(Z)

25 “Therefore I say to you, (AA)do not worry 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 (AB)Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [i]cubit to his [j]stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [k]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But (AC)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Do Not Judge(AD)

“Judge[l] (AE)not, that you be not judged. For with what [m]judgment you judge, you will be judged; (AF)and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (AG)And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

(AH)“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking(AI)

(AJ)“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For (AK)everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (AL)Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, (AM)being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, (AN)whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for (AO)this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow Way(AP)

13 (AQ)“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 [n]Because narrow is the gate and [o]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits(AR)

15 (AS)“Beware of false prophets, (AT)who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 (AU)You will know them by their fruits. (AV)Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, (AW)every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 (AX)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

I Never Knew You(AY)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, (AZ)‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who (BA)does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we (BB)not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And (BC)then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; (BD)depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Build on the Rock(BE)

24 “Therefore (BF)whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that (BG)the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 (BH)for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:5 pretenders
  2. Matthew 6:6 NU omits openly
  3. Matthew 6:13 NU omits the rest of v. 13.
  4. Matthew 6:16 pretenders
  5. Matthew 6:18 NU, M omit openly
  6. Matthew 6:22 Clear, or healthy
  7. Matthew 6:23 Evil, or unhealthy
  8. Matthew 6:24 Lit., in Aram., riches
  9. Matthew 6:27 About 18 inches
  10. Matthew 6:27 height
  11. Matthew 6:29 dressed
  12. Matthew 7:1 Condemn
  13. Matthew 7:2 Condemnation
  14. Matthew 7:14 NU, M How narrow . . . !
  15. Matthew 7:14 confined

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