Matthew 6

Giving to the Poor and Prayer

1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men 1to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

2“So when you 2give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they 3may be honored by men. 4Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3But when you 5give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your 6giving will be in secret; and 7your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

5“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to 8stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners 910so that they may be seen by men. 11Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6But you, when you pray, 12go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and 13your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their 14many words. 8So do not be like them; for 15your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9“16Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.1017Your kingdom come. 18Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.1119Give us this day 20our daily bread.12And 21forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13And do not lead us into temptation, but 22deliver us from 2324evil. 25[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] 1426For if you forgive 27others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But 28if you do not forgive 29others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Mammon)

16“30Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they 31neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. 32Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17But you, when you fast, 33anoint your head and wash your face 18so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your 34Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

19“35Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves 36treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for 37where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22“38The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is 39clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if 40your eye is 41bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24“42No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and 4344wealth.

The Cure for Anxiety

25“45For this reason I say to you, 46do not be 47worried about your 48life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 2649Look at the birds of the 50air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27And who of you by being 51worried can 52add a single 53hour to his 54life? 28And why are you 55worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even 56Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the 57grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? 58You of little faith! 31Do not 59worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for 60your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But 61seek first 62His kingdom and His righteousness, and 63all these things will be 64added to you.

34“So do not 65worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will 66care for itself. 67Each day has enough trouble of its own.