Matthew 6

Modern

Literal

Giving to the Needy

¹“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts^a before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

¹“ And beware not to do your righteousness before men in order to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in the heavens.

²So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

²Therefore, when you may do charity, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

³But in your doing charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

⁴so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁴so that your charity may be in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward to you.

The Lord’s Prayer

⁵And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

⁵And when you may pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets so that they might be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

⁶But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁶But you, when you may pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father, the One in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward to you.

⁷And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

⁷And praying, do not use vain repetitions like the Gentiles, for they think that in their many words they will be heard.

⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁸Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows of what things you have need before your asking Him.

⁹So then, this is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name.

⁹Therefore pray you this way: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, hallowed be Your name.

¹⁰Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

¹⁰Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, also upon earth.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹¹Give us today our necessary bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’^a

¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.

¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Proper Fasting

¹⁶When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

¹⁶And when you may fast, do not be as the hypocrites, gloomy-faced; for they disfigure their faces so that they might appear to men as fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

¹⁷But you, fasting, anoint your head and wash your face,

¹⁸so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

¹⁸so that you might not appear to men as fasting, but to your Father, the One in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust^a destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

¹⁹Do not treasure up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break in and steal.

²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

²⁰But treasure up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust disfigure, and where thieves do not break in, nor do they steal.

²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²¹For where your treasure is, there will be also your heart.

The Lamp of the Body

²²The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good,^a your whole body will be full of light.

²²The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.

²³But if your eyes are bad,^a your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²³But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

²⁴No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and he will love the other, or he will hold to one and he will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and mammon.

Do Not Worry

²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

²⁵Because of this I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you might eat or what you might drink, nor for your body, what you might put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

²⁶Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

²⁶Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor do they reap, nor do they gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?^a

²⁷And who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his lifespan one cubit?

²⁸And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.

²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider carefully the lilies of the field, how they grow: They do not labor, nor do they spin.

²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.

²⁹Yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these.

³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³⁰But if God thus clothes the grass of the field, being today and tomorrow being thrown into the furnace, will He not much more you, O little of faith?

³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we be clothed?’

³²For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

³²For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all of these.

³³But seek first the kingdom of God^a and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

³⁴Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient to the day is its evil.