Open English Translation MAT Chapter 6

6 [ref]“You people should take care not to only obey God in front of others so they’ll think well of you, because if you do, you’ll certainly get no reward from your father in the heavens.

2 “So when you’re giving to the poor, don’t make a big display of it like the hypocrites do in the meeting halls and in the streets so they’ll get the people’s praises. I can assure you that they’ve already received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be private, yet your father who sees everything you do will give back to you.

5 [ref]“Whenever you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray in the meeting halls and on street corners so everyone will notice them. I can assure you that they’ve already received their reward in full. 6 Instead, when you pray, go into a private room and shut the door, then pray to your father who’s not visible to you. Then your father who sees everything will reward you.

7 “And when you do pray, don’t babble away like people of other religions who think they’ll be listened to just because of how much they pray. 8 There’s no need to be like them, because God your father already knows your needs before you even ask him. 9 So pray like this:

‘Our father in the heavens,

we want your name to be honoured forever.

10 We want your kingdom to come

and your plans to be fulfilled here on earth just like they are in heaven.

11 Give us everything we need today

12 and write off what we owe you

as we also write off what others owe us.

13 Don’t bring us to the point of being tempted,

but keep us away from doing evil things.’

14 [ref]“Because if you people forgive other people’s wrongs, then your heavenly father will also forgive your wrongs. 15 But if you don’t forgive other people’s wrongs, then your father won’t forgive your wrongs either.

16 “Whenever you people are abstaining from food, don’t look miserable like the hypocrites, because they intentionally try to look awful so that everyone will notice that they’re fasting. I can assure you that they’ve already received their reward in full. 17 Instead, when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face 18 so that no one will realise that you’re fasting, other than your father who’s not visible to you. Then your father who sees everything will reward you.

19 [ref]“Don’t amass wealth for yourselves here on earth, where insects and corrosion destroy things, and where it can be stolen. 20 Instead, store your wealth in heaven, where there’s no destructive insects or corrosion or thieves or scammers, 21 because wherever your wealth is, your values will also be focussed there.

22 “Your eyes are your body’s lamps, so if your eyes are healthy, then your entire body will be bright. 23 But if your eyes are evil, your entire body will be dark.

24 “No one can serve two masters, because they’ll either hate one and like the other one, or else will support one and despise the other. So you people can’t serve both God and money.

25 “So that’s why I’m telling you all not to worry about your worldly life—things like what you’ll eat or drink, or how you look and what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Think about the birds in the sky—they don’t plant seeds or harvest crops or gather grain into barns, but it’s your heavenly father who feeds them. Aren’t each of you worth more than them? 27 Who can add an hour to their lifetime by worrying?

28 “Why would you worry about clothes? Look how the flowers grow in the fields—they don’t work or make fabric, 29 [ref]but I can tell you that not even King Solomon at the peak of his reign was dressed as well as the flowers. 30 So if God dresses the plants in the fields that are here today and thrown away tomorrow, won’t he care much more for you, you people with little faith?

31 “That means that you people don’t need to worry about having anything to eat or drink, or having clothes to wear. 32 People with no trust in God try to obtain all those things, but your heavenly father already knows that you need these things. 33 So instead you should be striving to enter God’s kingdom and to be guiltless in his eyes, and then all these other things will just follow. 34 Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow can worry about itself—today’s problems are enough by themselves.