Matthew, 6

1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

1. Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven.

2. Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

2. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have been already paid in full.

3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

3. If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

4. so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.

5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

5. When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

6. When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is with you in secret; and your Father who sees what is kept secret will reward you.

7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

7. When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard.

8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

8. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him.

9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

9. This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name,

10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.

10. your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

11. Give us this day our daily bread.

11. Give us today the kind of bread we need.

12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

12. Forgive us our debts just as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.

13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

13. Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from the evil one.

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

14. If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours.

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

15. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either.

16. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

16. When you fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so people can see they are fasting. I tell you this: they have been paid in full already.

17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

17. When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful,

18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

18. because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, who sees what is kept secret will reward you.

19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

19. Do not store up treasure for yourself here on earth where moth and rust destroy it, and where thieves can steal it.

20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

20. Store up treasure for yourself with God, where no moth or rust can destroy nor thief come and steal it.

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

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

22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

22. The lamp of the body is the eye; if your eyes are sound, your whole body will be in the light.

23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

23. If your eyes are diseased your whole body will be in darkness. Then, if your light has become darkness, how dark will be the darkest part of you!

24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

24. No one can serve two masters; for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the first and look down on the second. You cannot at the same time serve God and money.

25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

25. This is why I tell you not to be worried about food and drink for yourself, or about clothes for your body. Is not life more important than food and is not the body more important than clothes?

26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

26. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, they do not harvest and do not store food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than birds?

27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

27. Can any of you add a day to your life by worrying about it?

28. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

28. Why are you so worried about your clothes? Look at the flowers in the fields how they grow. They do not toil or spin.

29. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

29. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his wealth was clothed like one of these.

30. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?

30. If God so clothes the grass in the field which blooms today and is to be burned tomorrow in an oven, how much more will he clothe you? What little faith you have!

31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

31. Do not worry and say: What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? Or: what shall we wear?

32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

32. The pagans busy themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

33. Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God and all these things will also be given to you.

34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.

34. Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.