Matthew 6
6
Do Good to Please God
1“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. 2Therefore, #Rom. 12:8when 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. 3But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret #Luke 14:12–14will Himself reward you openly.
The Model Prayer
5“And when you pray, you shall not be like the 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. 6But you, when you pray, #2 Kin. 4:33go 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 openly. 7And when you pray, #Eccl. 5:2do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. #1 Kin. 18:26For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father #(Rom. 8:26, 27)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9In this #Matt. 6:9–13; Luke 11:2–4; (John 16:24; Eph. 6:18; Jude 20)manner, therefore, pray:
#(Matt. 5:9, 16)Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your #Mal. 1:11name.
10Your kingdom come.
#Matt. 26:42; Luke 22:42; Acts 21:14Your will be done
On earth #Ps. 103:20as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our #(Job 23:12); Prov. 30:8; Is. 33:16; Luke 11:3daily bread.
12And #(Matt. 18:21, 22)forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13#(Matt. 26:41; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 3:10)And do not lead us into temptation,
But #John 17:15; (2 Thess. 3:3); 2 Tim. 4:18; (1 John 5:18)deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14#(Matt. 7:2); Mark 11:25; (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But #Matt. 18:35; James 2:13if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
16“Moreover, #Is. 58:3–7; Luke 18:12when you fast, do not be like the 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. 17But you, when you fast, #Ruth 3:3; 2 Sam. 12:20; Dan. 10:3anoint your head and wash your face, 18so 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 openly.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19#Prov. 23:4; (1 Tim. 6:17; Heb. 13:5); James 5:1“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20#Matt. 19:21; Luke 12:33; 18:22; 1 Tim. 6:19; 1 Pet. 1:4but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body
22#Luke 11:34, 35“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is 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#Luke 16:9, 11, 13“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. #(Gal. 1:10; 1 Tim. 6:17; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15)You cannot serve God and mammon.
Do Not Worry
25“Therefore I say to you, #(Ps. 55:22); Luke 12:22; (Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7)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#Job 38:41; Ps. 147:9; Matt. 10:29; Luke 12:24Look 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? 27Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Now 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?’ 32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But #1 Kin. 3:13; Luke 12:31; (1 Tim. 4:8)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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Matthew 6: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
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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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.