Matthew 6
6
Doing Good Deeds Secretly
1“Be careful not to do good deeds in front of other people so that they’ll see you. If you do that, you won’t get any reward from your Father in heaven.
Giving to People in Need
2“When you give to people in need, don’t announce it by having trumpets blown in front of you. That’s what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets because they want people to notice them. Truly I tell you, that’s all the reward they’ll get. 3But when you give to people in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4Then your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
Prayer
5“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that other people will see them. Truly I tell you, that’s all the reward they’ll get. 6When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who can’t be seen. Then your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, don’t keep talking on and on like the people who worship other gods. They think their prayers will be answered because they’ve talked so much. 8Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.
9“Therefore, pray like this:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be honored.
10May your kingdom come—
may your will be done on earth
as it already is done in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread,
12and forgive our sins,
just as we forgive those who sin against us.
13Don’t let us fall into temptation,
and save us from the evil one.’
14If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you don’t forgive other people, your Father won’t forgive your sins.
Fasting
16“When you go without eating, don’t look all sad like the hypocrites. They make strange faces so that people will notice that they’re fasting. Truly I tell you, that’s all the reward they’ll get. 17But when you go without eating, refresh your hair with olive oil and wash your face. 18Then no one will be able to tell that you’re fasting. Only your Father, who can’t be seen, will know it. And your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
God and Money
19“Don’t try to get a lot of riches on earth, because moths and pests can destroy your things there, and thieves can break in and steal them. 20Instead, make sure you have a lot of riches in heaven, because moths and pests can’t destroy anything there, and thieves can’t break in and steal anything. 21Wherever your riches are, that’s where your heart will be.
22“The eye lets light into the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are unhealthy, then your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is darkness, then it’s really dark!
24“No one can serve two masters. Either you’ll hate the first and love the second, or you’ll be devoted to the first and not care about the second. You can’t serve both God and money.
God Knows What You Need
25“So I’m telling you not to worry about your life, what you’ll eat or drink, and not to worry about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? And isn’t there more to the body than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or harvest crops, and they don’t put grain away in barns. But your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? 27Can any of you add even one hour to your life by worrying?
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work or make clothes, 29but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his royal robes was dressed as well as one of these flowers. 30If God dresses the wild grass so well, even though it’s here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, isn’t he even more likely to make sure that you have clothes? You have such little faith! 31Don’t get all worried and say, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32People who don’t trust in God are concerned with those things. But your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33So be concerned about the kingdom of God first, and do what he wants you to do, and all those things will also be given to you. 34Don’t worry about tomorrow—let it worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.
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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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