Matthew Chapter 6

            ¹ “Be careful about practicing your^pl goodness in public so people will see you. Otherwise, you won’t have any reward from your Father in heaven.

            ² “When you^sg donate to benevolence, don’t blow a trumpet like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets so people will admire them. They have all the reward they’re going to get. ³ When you donate to benevolence, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand’s doing. ⁴ That will keep your benevolence private, and your Father who sees private things will reward you.

⁵ “When you^pl pray, don’t do like the hypocrites. They like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so people will see them. I tell you^pl, they have all the reward they’re going to get. ⁶ When you^sg pray, go to your private room, shut the door, and pray in private. Your Father, who sees private things, will reward you.

Mt 6:1-6

            ⁷ “When you^pl pray, don’t say things over and over like pagans do. That doesn’t mean anything. They think they’ll be listened to because they say lots of words. ⁸ Don’t do that. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. ⁹ You pray this way,

                        ‘Our Father in heaven,

                                    you are holy.

                                    ¹⁰ May your kingdom come,

                                                and your will be done

                                                on earth like it is in heaven.

                        ¹¹ Give us our day’s food today.

                                    ¹² Forgive us of our debts

                                                like we’ve forgiven our debtors.

                                    ¹³ Keep us from facing temptation;

                                                deliver us from the evil one,

                        [because the kingdom, power, and glory

belong to you forever. Amen.]^ms

¹⁴ If you^pl forgive people, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ If you don’t, he won’t forgive you.                                                                                         

Mt 6:7-15

            ¹⁶ “When you^pl fast, don’t do like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance to show people they’re fasting. That’s all the reward they’re going to get. ¹⁷ When you^sg fast, anoint your head and wash your face ¹⁸ so you won’t be showing people you’re fasting. Your Father who sees secret things will reward you.

            ¹⁹ “Don’t save up wealth on earth, where moths and rust ruin things, and thieves break in and steal them. ²⁰ Save up wealth in heaven, where moths and rust don’t ruin it, and thieves don’t break in and steal it. ²¹ Your heart will be where your wealth is.

²² “The eyes are the body’s lamp. If you have good eyes, your whole body will have light. ²³ If your eyes are bad, your whole body will be in the dark. If the light that’s in you is darkness, that’s serious darkness!

Mt 6:16-23

            ²⁴ “Nobody can serve two masters. You’ll disregard one and be loyal to the other. You can’t serve God and money. ²⁵ So don’t worry about what you’ll eat or drink or what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?

            ²⁶ “Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant or harvest or gather into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than birds? ²⁷ Which one of you, by worrying, can make yourself a foot and a half taller? ²⁸ Why worry about clothes? Look how wild flowers grow. They don’t spin or toil, ²⁹ but Solomon in all his splendor didn’t dress like one of them. ³⁰ If God dresses the plants in the field that way—here today and thrown in an oven tomorrow—won’t he much more dress you, you with little faith?

³¹ “So don’t worry about what you’re going to eat or what you’re going to wear. ³² Gentiles strain after things like that. Your heavenly Father knows you need them. ³³ Strive after his kingdom and his goodness, and they’ll come along with it. ³⁴ Don’t worry about tomorrow; it will worry about itself.

Mt 6:24-34