Matthew 6
Give to the Needy without Fanfare (6:1–4)
1 “Be careful to not practice your righteousness in front of others to be noticed by them, otherwise you have no reward of your Father who is in the heavens. 2 Therefore, when you give alms to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by the people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give alms to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 in order that your giving will be in secret; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Pray in Private and Also as a Group (6:5–15)
5 “And 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 visible to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will openly reward you.
7 “And then when you pray as a group, do not keep on babbling like people who think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Therefore, pray in this way:
Our Father in the Heavens, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the bread that we need, 12 and relieve us from our debts to the same extent that we have granted relief to those who are indebted to us. 13 Lead us not into temptations or trials but rescue us from evil. *For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for time and throughout all eternity. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive other people’s failings, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive other people’s failings, your Father will not be able to forgive you of yours.”
Fast, Wash, and Anoint in Privacy (6:16–18)
16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not look sad as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show the people that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face 18 so that it will not be obvious to the people that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is in secret; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Lay Up Consecrated Treasures in Heaven (6:19–24)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust corrode, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrode, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light which is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot be a servant to God and also be a servant of Mammon, the lord of earthly riches.”
God Will Bless You and Robe You in Glorious Garments (6:25–34)
25 “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is the spirit not more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Consider the birds of the air; they do not sow or harvest or gather wheat in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they are? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single cubit to your stature? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin, 29 yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was robbed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field—which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven—will he not much more robe you, even if you are of little understanding? 31 Do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 Everyone in the world seeks after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows what you need, 33 so seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. 34 Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
