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,[a] 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[b] being anxious, is able to add one hour[c] 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[d] 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,[e] 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.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:25 Some manuscripts add “or what you will drink”; other later manuscripts add “and what you will drink”
  2. Matthew 6:27 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“being anxious”) which is understood as means
  3. Matthew 6:27 Or “cubit”
  4. Matthew 6:30 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is”) which is understood as concessive
  5. Matthew 6:33 Some manuscripts have “the kingdom of God and his righteousness”
  6. Matthew 6:34 Literally “sufficient for the day its trouble”

The Cure for Anxiety

25 (A)For this reason I say to you, [a]do not be (B)worried about your [b]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 (C)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 (D)worrying can (E)add a single [c]day to his [d]life’s span? 28 And why are you (F)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 (G)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (H)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (I)You of little faith! 31 Do not (J)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 (K)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [e]seek first [f]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (L)all these things will be [g]provided to you.

34 “So do not (M)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [h]worry about itself. [i]Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:25 Or stop being worried
  2. Matthew 6:25 Lit soul
  3. Matthew 6:27 Lit cubit (about 18 in. or 45 cm)
  4. Matthew 6:27 Or height
  5. Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek
  6. Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom
  7. Matthew 6:33 Or added
  8. Matthew 6:34 Or look after itself
  9. Matthew 6:34 Lit Sufficient for the day is its evil