Matthew 6
1 “When you do your good deeds, make certain that you do not do them when other people are watching so that they may see you [and think highly of you]. If [you do good deeds merely in order that other people may think highly of you, God], your Father who is in heaven, will not give you any reward.
"Be careful not to do your good deeds in the sight of men, in order to be observed by them. If you do, you have no reward with your heavenly Father.
2 So, whenever you give something to the poor, do not [announce it as people announce something that they want other people to know about] by playing a [fanfare] on a trumpet [MET]. That is what the hypocrites do (in the synagogues/in the Jewish meeting places) and on the main roads in order that people might [see what they do and] praise them. Keep this in mind: [People praise those hypocrites], [but] that is the [only] reward they will receive!
"And whatever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets, in order that men may praise them. In solemn truth I tell you they already have their reward in full.
3 Instead [of doing as they do], when you give something to the poor, do not let other people know that you are doing that [MET].
"But when you give alms, do not let your right hand know what your left is doing,
4 In that way, you will be giving to the poor secretly. [As a result God], your Father who observes [you] while no one else sees [you], will reward you.
"so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5 Also when you pray, do not do what the hypocrites do. They like to stand in the Jewish meeting places and on the corners of the main streets to pray, in order that other people will see them [and think highly of them]. Keep this in mind: [People praise them, but] that is the [only] reward they will get.
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the avenues, in order that men may see them. In solemn truth I tell you that they have their reward in full.
6 But as for you, when you pray, go into your private room and close the door in order to pray to [God], your Father, whom no one can see. He observes you where no one else observes you, and he will reward you.
"But you, when you pray, go into your own room and shut your door; pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 When you pray, do not repeat words many times as the people who do not know God do [when they pray. They repeat meaningless words] because they think that if they use many words, their gods will listen to them and give them [what they ask for].
"While praying do not say the same words over and over again, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that by their much speaking they will gain attention.
8 Do not [repeat words] as they do, because [God] your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 So pray [things] like this: Father, [you who are] in heaven, we [(exc)] desire that you be honored/revered {that people honor/revere you}.
"So pray in this way. "Our Father who art in heaven, May thy name be hallowed,
10 We [(exc)] desire that people let you rule [over their lives]. We(exc) want [people who live] on the earth to do what you desire, as those who live in heaven [do what you want them to do].
thy kingdom come, and thy will be done, On earth, as in heaven.
11 Give us [(exc)] each day the food [SYN] that we [(exc) need for] that day.
Give us today our bread for the day before us;
12 Forgive our sins just like we [(exc)] have forgiven the people who sin against us [(exc)].
And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors;
13 Do not let us(exc) do wrong things when we(exc) are tempted {someone or something tempts us}, and rescue us [(exc)] when Satan the evil one tempts us to do evil things.”
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One; For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Amen.
14 “[Forgive the people who sin against you], because, if you forgive other people, [God], your Father who is in heaven, will forgive your [sins].
"For if you forgive men their offenses against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you also;
15 But if you do not forgive other people, neither will God forgive your sins.”
"but if you do not forgive men your offenses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your offenses.
16 “When you abstain from eating food [in order to please God], do not look sad as the hypocrites look. They make their faces appear sad in order that people will see that they are abstaining from food [and will think highly of them]. Keep this in mind: [People will think highly of those people for that], but [that is the only] reward those people will get!
"When you fast, do not look downcast like the hypocrites; for they disfigure their faces so that it may be apparent to men that they are fasting. In solemn truth I tell you, they already have received their reward.
17 Instead, [each of] you, when you abstain from food, should comb your hair and wash your face [as usual],
"But when one of you fasts, let him anoint his head and wash his face,
18 in order that other people will not notice that you are fasting [because you will look as you always do]. But [God], your Father, whom no one can see, [will observe that you are abstaining from food. God] your Father sees [you] even though no one else sees [you], and he will reward you.”
"so that he may not appear to men to be fasting, but to his Father who is in secret; and his Father who sees in secret will reward him.
19 “Do not [selfishly] accumulate large quantities of money and material goods for yourselves on [this] earth, because [the earth is where everything is destroyed. For example], on earth termites ruin things, and things rust, and thieves enter [buildings] and steal things.
"Store up for yourselves no treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
20 Instead, do [deeds that will please God. Your doing such deeds will be like] storing treasures in heaven [MET]. [Nothing perishes in heaven]. In heaven no termites ruin [things], nothing rusts, and thieves do not enter buildings and steal.
"but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 [Remember that] the things [that you think are the most] valuable are [the things that] you will be constantly concerned about [MET]. [So if you want to be storing treasures in heaven], you [need to be] constantly thinking [about God and heaven], [instead of your earthly possessions].”
"For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 “Your eyes are [like] a lamp [MET] for your body, because they enable you to see things. So if your eyes are healthy, you are able to see everything well [MET]. [Similarly, if you are generous with your money and other possessions, you will be able to know much of what God wants you to know] [MET].
"The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is sound, your whole body will be well lighted;
23 But if your eyes are bad, you are not able to see things well. And if that continues, the time will come when you will not be able to see at all. You will be in complete darkness [MET]. [Similarly, if you continue to be greedy, you will be in spiritual darkness. If all that your eyes can see and your mind can think about involves your greedily desiring material possessions, all that you do will be evil] [MET].”
"but if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be darkened. If then the very light within you is darkness, how dense is that darkness!
24 “No one is able to serve two [different] bosses [at the same time]. If [he tried to do that], he would dislike one of them and love the other one, or he would be loyal to one of them and despise the other one [DOU]. [Similarly], you cannot [devote your life to] worshipping God and [worshipping] money and material goods [at the same time].”
"No slave can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will pay heed to the one and despise the other. You cannot be the slaves both of God and of gold.
25 “Because [you should be concerned about what God thinks is important and not about material goods, I] tell you that you should not worry about [things that you need in order to] live. [Do not worry] about whether you will have [enough food] to eat, and [something] to drink, or [enough] clothes to wear. It is important to have [sufficient] food [and drink] and clothing, but the way you conduct your lives is much more important [RHQ].
"For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious about your life, inquiring what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body, inquiring what you shall wear. Is not your life more than its food, and your body than its clothing?
26 Look at the birds. They do not plant [seeds, and they do not] harvest [crops] and gather them into barns. [But they always have food to eat because God], your Father who is in heaven, provides food for them. And you are certainly worth a lot more than birds [RHQ]! [So you can be assured that God will supply what you need!]
"Behold! the birds in the sky! They neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them; and are not you worth more than they?
27 (None of you can, just by worrying, [add time to your life]./Can any of you, just by worrying, [add time to your life]?) [RHQ] [You cannot] add [even] one minute to your life! [So you should not worry about things such as food and clothing!]
"Which one of you by being anxious is able to add even one cubit to his stature?
28 You should also not worry about [whether you will have enough] clothes [to wear] [RHQ]. Think about the way flowers [grow] in the fields. They do not work [to earn money], and they do not make their own clothes.
"Why be anxious then about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin.
29 But I tell you that even though [King] Solomon, who [lived long ago], [wore very beautiful clothes], his clothes were not as beautiful as one of those [flowers].
"But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was robed like one of these.
30 God makes the wild plants very beautiful, [but they grow] in the field [for only a short time]. One day they grow, and the next day they are thrown into an oven {someone [cuts them and] throws them into an oven} [to be burned to make heat for baking bread. But you are more important to God than wild plants are, and you live much longer]. So (God will certainly provide clothes for you who [live a long time but] trust him so little!/will not God surely very adequately clothe you, [who live a long time but] trust him so little?) [RHQ]
"If God then so clothes the grass of the field, which blooms today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31 Because of God’s caring for you, do not worry and say, ‘Will we have anything to eat?’ or ‘Will we have anything to drink?’ or ‘Will we have clothes to wear?’ [RHQ]
"Then do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’"
32 Those who do not know God are always worrying about things like that. But God, your Father who is in heaven, knows that you need all those things, [so you should not worry about them].
"For all these are things that the Gentiles are eagerly seeking; for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of them all.
33 Instead, the most important thing you should be concerned about is to let [God] completely direct your life, and to strive [to live] righteously. [If you do that], all the things that you [need] will be given to you {God will give you all the things [that you need]}.
"But continue to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 So [each day] do not be worried about what will happen to you the next day, because [when] that day [PRS] comes, [you] will be concerned about [what happens during] that day. You will have enough to be concerned about each day. [So do not worry ahead of time].”
"Do not then be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own anxieties. Enough for each day are its own troubles."
