Matthew 6
6
1Take heed not to do your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. 2When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does; 4so that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render it to thee.
5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets so that they should appear to men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render it to thee. 7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as those who are of the nations: for they think they shall be heard through their much speaking. 8Be not ye therefore like them, for your Father knows of what things ye have need before ye beg anything of him.
9Thus therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in the heavens, let thy name be sanctified, 10let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth; 11give us to-day our needed bread, 12and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors, 13and lead us not into temptation, but save us from evil. 14For if ye forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father also will forgive you yours, 15but if ye do not forgive men their offences, neither will your Father forgive your offences.
16And when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, downcast in countenance; for they disfigure their faces, so that they may appear fasting to men: verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17But thou, when fasting, anoint thy head and wash thy face, 18so that thou mayest not appear fasting unto men, but to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who sees in secret shall render it to thee.
19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust spoils, and where thieves dig through and steal; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust spoils, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal; 21for where thy treasure is, there will be also thy heart. 22The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body will be light: 23but if thine eye be wicked, thy whole body will be dark. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great the darkness! 24No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25For this cause I say unto you, Do not be careful about your life, what ye should eat and what ye should drink; nor for your body what ye should put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than raiment? 26Look at the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, nor reap, nor gather into granaries, and your heavenly Father nourishes them. Are ye not much more excellent than they? 27But which of you by carefulness can add to his growth one cubit? 28And why are ye careful about clothing? Observe with attention the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; 29but I say unto you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these. 30But if God so clothe the herbage of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, will he not much rather you, O ye of little faith? 31Be not therefore careful, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we put on? 32for all these things the nations seek after; for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Be not careful therefore for the morrow, for the morrow shall be careful about itself. Sufficient to the day is its own evil.
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Matthew 6: DARBY
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Matthew 6
6
Giving
Jesus said:
1When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven.#Mt 23.5.
2When you give to the poor, don't blow a loud horn. That's what show-offs do in the meeting places and on the street corners, because they are always looking for praise. I can assure you that they already have their reward.
3When you give to the poor, don't let anyone know about it.#6.3 don't let anyone know about it: The Greek text has, “Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” 4Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret, and he will reward you.
Prayer
(Luke 11.2-4)
Jesus continued:
5When you pray, don't be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.#Lk 18.10-14.
6When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.
7When you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. 8Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.
9You should pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
help us to honour
your name.
10Come and set up
your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth
will obey you,
as you are obeyed
in heaven.
11Give us our food for today.#6.11 our food for today: Or “the food that we need” or “our food for the coming day”.
12Forgive us for doing wrong,
as we forgive others.
13Keep us from being tempted
and protect us from evil.#6.13 evil: Or “the evil one”, that is, the devil. Some manuscripts add, “The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours for ever. Amen.”
14If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you.#Mk 11.25,26. 15But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Worshipping God by going without eating
Jesus continued:
16When you go without eating,#6.16 without eating: See the note at 4.2. don't try to look gloomy as those show-offs do when they go without eating. I can assure you that they already have their reward. 17Instead, comb your hair and wash your face. 18Then others won't know that you are going without eating. But your Father sees what is done in private, and he will reward you.
Treasures in heaven
(Luke 12.33,34)
Jesus continued:
19Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them.#Jas 5.2,3. 20Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21Your heart will always be where your treasure is.
Light
(Luke 11.34-36)
Jesus continued:
22Your eyes are like a window for your body. When they are good, you have all the light you need. 23But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. If the light inside you is dark, you are in the dark.
Money
(Luke 16.13)
Jesus continued:
24You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Worry
(Luke 12.22-31)
Jesus continued:
25I tell you not to worry about your life. Don't worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food or clothing? 26Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. They don't even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you worth more than birds?
27Can worry make you live longer?#6.27 live longer: Or “grow taller”. 28Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don't work hard to make their clothes. 29But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth#6.29 Solomon with all his wealth: The Jewish people thought that Solomon was the richest person who had ever lived. wasn't as well clothed as one of them.#1 K 10.4-7; 2 Ch 9.3-6. 30God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?
31Don't worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” 32Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these. 33But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.
34Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012