Matthew 6
1 Take care not to perform your religious duties in public in order to be seen by others; if you do, your Father who is in Heaven has no reward for you.
"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 Therefore, when you do acts of charity, do not have a trumpet blown in front of you, as hypocrites do in the Synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. There, I tell you, is their reward!
"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 But, when you do acts of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
"But when you give alms, do not let your right hand know what your left is doing,
4 so that your charity may be secret; and your Father, who sees what is in secret, will recompense you.
"so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5 And, when you pray, you are not to behave as hypocrites do. They like to pray standing in the Synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. There, I tell you, is their reward!
"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, when one of you prays, let him go into his own room, shut the door, and pray to his Father who dwells in secret; and his Father, who sees what is secret, will recompense him.
"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 praying, do not repeat the same words over and over again, as is done by the Gentiles, who think that by using many words they will obtain a hearing.
"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 imitate them; for 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 You, therefore, should pray thus — ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven, may thy name be held holy,
"So pray in this way. "Our Father who art in heaven, May thy name be hallowed,
10 thy Kingdom come, thy will be done — on earth, as in Heaven.
thy kingdom come, and thy will be done, On earth, as in heaven.
11 Give us to-day the bread that we shall need;
Give us today our bread for the day before us;
12 and forgive us our wrong-doings, as we have forgiven those who have wronged us;
And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors;
13 and take us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil.’
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 For, if you forgive others their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also;
"For if you forgive men their offenses against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you also;
15 but, if you do not forgive others their offences, not even your Father will forgive your offences.
"but if you do not forgive men your offenses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your offenses.
16 And, when you fast, do not put on gloomy looks, as hypocrites do who disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. That, I tell you, is their reward!
"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 But, when one of you fasts, let him anoint his head and wash his face,
"But when one of you fasts, let him anoint his head and wash his face,
18 that he may not be seen by men to be fasting, but by his Father who dwells in secret; and his Father, who sees what is secret, will recompense him.
"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 store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
"Store up for yourselves no treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
20 But store up treasures for yourselves in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or 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 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
"For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be lit up;
"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 eye is diseased, your whole body will be darkened. And, if the inner light is darkness, how intense must that darkness be!
"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 can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will attach himself to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
"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 That is why I say to you, Do not be anxious about your life here — what you can get to eat or drink; nor yet about your body — what you can get to wear. Is not life more than food, and the body than its clothing?
"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 wild birds — they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and yet your heavenly Father feeds them! And are not you more precious than they?
"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 But which of you, by being anxious, can prolong his life a single moment?
"Which one of you by being anxious is able to add even one cubit to his stature?
28 And why be anxious about clothing? Study the wild lilies, and how they grow. They neither toil nor spin;
"Why be anxious then about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin.
29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his splendour was not robed like one of these.
"But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was robed like one of these.
30 If God so clothes even the grass of the field, which is living to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, will not he much more clothe you, O men of little faith?
"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 Do not then ask anxiously ‘What can we get to eat?’ or ‘What can we get to drink?’ or ‘What can we get to wear?’
"Then do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’"
32 All these are the things for which the nations are seeking, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
"For all these are things that the Gentiles are eagerly seeking; for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of them all.
33 But first seek his Kingdom and the righteousness that he requires, and then all these things shall be added for you.
"But continue to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not be anxious about to-morrow, for to-morrow will bring its own anxieties. Every day has trouble enough of its own.
"Do not then be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own anxieties. Enough for each day are its own troubles."
