Matthew 6:1-18
New King James Version
Do Good to Please God
6 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, (A)when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret (B)will Himself reward you [a]openly.
The Model Prayer(C)
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the [b]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. 6 But you, when you pray, (D)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 [c]openly. 7 And when you pray, (E)do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. (F)For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father (G)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this (H)manner, therefore, pray:
(I)Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your (J)name.
10 Your kingdom come.
(K)Your will be done
On earth (L)as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our (M)daily bread.
12 And (N)forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 (O)And do not lead us into temptation,
But (P)deliver us from the evil one.
[d]For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 (Q)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (R)if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
16 “Moreover, (S)when you fast, do not be like the [e]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, (T)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 [f]openly.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 6:4 NU omits openly
- Matthew 6:5 pretenders
- Matthew 6:6 NU omits openly
- Matthew 6:13 NU omits the rest of v. 13.
- Matthew 6:16 pretenders
- Matthew 6:18 NU, M omit openly
Matthew 9:14-17
New King James Version
Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting(A)
14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, (B)“Why do we and the Pharisees fast [a]often, but Your disciples do not fast?”
15 And Jesus said to them, “Can (C)the [b]friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and (D)then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for [c]the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins [d]break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 9:14 NU brackets often as disputed.
- Matthew 9:15 Lit. sons of the bridechamber
- Matthew 9:16 Lit. that which is put on
- Matthew 9:17 burst
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.