Matthew 6
6
Teaching about Giving to the Needy
1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Teaching about Prayer and Fasting
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need, # 6:11 Or Give us today our food for the day; or Give us today our food for tomorrow.
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, # 6:13a Or And keep us from being tested.
but rescue us from the evil one. # 6:13b Or from evil. Some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17But when you fast, comb your hair#6:17 Greek anoint your head. and wash your face. 18Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Teaching about Money and Possessions
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33Seek the Kingdom of God#6:33 Some manuscripts do not include of God. above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
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Matthew 6
6
How to Give
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness # 6:1 Other mss read charitable giving in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.#Mt 23:5; Lk 6:24 3But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.#6:4 Other mss read will himself reward you openly#Jr 17:10; Lk 14:14; Col 3:23–24; Heb 4:13
How to Pray
5 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. #
Mt 6:16; Mk 11:25; Lk 6:24; 18:11 6But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.#6:6 Other mss add openly#2Kg 4:33; Is 26:20; Mt 6:18 7When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.#1Kg 18:26; Ec 5:2 8Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.#Mt 9:12; Mk 2:17; Lk 5:31; 9:11; 10:42; Ac 2:45
The Lord’s Prayer
9 “Therefore, you should pray like this: #
Lk 11:1–13
Our Father in heaven,
your name be honored as holy. #
Lk 11:2; 1Co 7:14
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. #
Ps 103:20; Mt 3:2; 4:17; 26:42; Lk 22:42; Ac 21:14
11 Give us today our daily bread. # 6:11 Or our necessary bread, or our bread for tomorrow
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. #
Pr 30:8; Rm 4:4; Gl 5:3
13 And do not bring us into # 6:13 Or do not cause us to come into temptation,#Mt 26:41; 1Co 10:13; 2Pt 2:9
but deliver us from the evil one. # 6:13 Or from evil; some later mss add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. #
Mt 5:37; Jn 17:15; 2Th 3:3; 2Tm 4:18
14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. #
Mk 11:25; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13 15But if you don’t forgive others,#6:15 Other mss add their wrongdoing your Father will not forgive your offenses.
How to Fast
16 “Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces #
Is 58:5; Mt 18:35; Jms 2:13 so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,#Ru 3:3; 2Sm 12:20; Dn 10:3 18so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.#6:18 Other mss add openly
God and Possessions
19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures # 6:19 Or valuables on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.#Pr 23:4; Heb 13:5 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,#Mt 19:21; Lk 12:33; 18:22; 1Tm 6:19 where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness!#Mt 4:16; 8:12; 22:13; 25:30; 27:45
24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. #
Lk 16:13; Gl 1:10; Jms 4:4
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “Therefore I tell you: #
Lk 12:22–31
Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?#Lk 10:41; Php 4:6; 1Pt 5:7 26Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?#Jb 38:41; Ps 147:9; Mt 10:29–31 27Can any of you add one moment to his life span#6:27 Or add a single cubit to his height by worrying? 28And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you — you of little faith?#1Kg 10:4–7; Mt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8 31So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ’ or ‘What will we drink? ’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first the kingdom of God#6:33 Other mss omit of God#Mk 1:15; Ac 20:25 and his righteousness,#Mt 27:19; Lk 7:29; 23:41,47; Jn 5:30; 17:25; Ac 3:14 and all these things will be provided for you.#1Kg 3:13; Mt 19:28; Mk 10:29; Lk 18:29; 1Tm 4:8 34Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble#Mt 6:25; Lk 10:41; Php 4:6; 1Pt 5:7 of its own.
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