Study Desk

"Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

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.

"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

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.

"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

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

so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

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

"And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

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.

"But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

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.

"And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

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

"So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

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

"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

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

-'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

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

-'Give us this day our daily bread.

Give us this day our daily bread.

-'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

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

-'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'

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.

"For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

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

"But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.

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

"Now whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

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.

"But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

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

so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

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.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

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

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

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

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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

"The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

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

"But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

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!

"No 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 wealth.

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.

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?

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?

"Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?

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?

"And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life's span?

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

"And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth,

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

yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

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

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

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?

"Do not worry then, saying, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear for clothing?'

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

"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

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

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

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

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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.