Matthew · Bible in Basic English
Matthew 6 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
BBE Bible in Basic English
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
PT1904 Patriarchal Text 1904 (accented, eBible edition)
1 Take care not to do your good works before men, to be seen by them; or you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
1 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
1 Προσέχετε τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ὑμῶν μὴ ποιεῖν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι αὐτοῖς· εἰ δὲ μήγε, μισθὸν οὐκ ἔχετε παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ ὑμῶν τῷ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
2 When then you give money to the poor, do not make a noise about it, as the false-hearted men do in the Synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Truly, I say to you, They have their reward.
2 Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
2 Ὅταν οὖν ποιῇς ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ σαλπίσῃς ἔμπροσθέν σου, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ποιοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ῥύμαις, ὅπως δοξασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.
3 But when you give money, let not your left hand see what your right hand does:
3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,
3 σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου,
4 So that your giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.
4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
4 ὅπως ᾖ σου ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ.
5 And when you make your prayers, be not like the false-hearted men, who take pleasure in getting up and saying their prayers in the Synagogues and at the street turnings so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.
5 “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.
5 Καὶ ὅταν προσεύχῃ, οὐκ ἔσῃ ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταί, ὅτι φιλοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσθαι, ὅπως ἂν φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.
6 But when you make your prayer, go into your private room, and, shutting the door, say a prayer to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.
6 But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
6 σὺ δὲ ὅταν προσεύχῃ, εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖόν σου, καὶ κλείσας τὴν θύραν σου πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ.
7 And in your prayer do not make use of the same words again and again, as the Gentiles do: for they have the idea that God will give attention to them because of the number of their words.
7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
7 Προσευχόμενοι δὲ μὴ βαττολογήσητε ὥσπερ οἱ ἐθνικοί· δοκοῦσι γὰρ ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται.
8 So be not like them; because your Father has knowledge of your needs even before you make your requests to him.
8 Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.
8 μὴ οὖν ὁμοιωθῆτε αὐτοῖς· οἶδε γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε πρὸ τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν.
9 Let this then be your prayer: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
9 Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
9 Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
10 Let your kingdom come. Let your pleasure be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·
11 Give us this day bread for our needs.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
11 τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
12 And make us free of our debts, as we have made those free who are in debt to us.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
12 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
13 καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.
14 For if you let men have forgiveness for their sins, you will have forgiveness from your Father in heaven.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
14 Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος·
15 But if you do not let men have forgiveness for their sins, you will not have forgiveness from your Father for your sins.
15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
15 ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἀφήσει τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν.
16 And when you go without food, be not sad-faced as the false-hearted are. For they go about with changed looks, so that men may see that they are going without food. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.
16 “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
16 Ὅταν δὲ νηστεύητε, μὴ γίνεσθε ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ σκυθρωποί· ἀφανίζουσι γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ὅπως φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύοντες· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.
17 But when you go without food, put oil on your head and make your face clean;
17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
17 σὺ δὲ νηστεύων ἄλειψαί σου τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαι,
18 So that no one may see that you are going without food, but your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.
18 so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
18 ὅπως μὴ φανῇς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύων, ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι [ἐν τῷ φανερῷ].
19 Make no store of wealth for yourselves on earth, where it may be turned to dust by worms and weather, and where thieves may come in by force and take it away.
19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
19 Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσι καὶ κλέπτουσι·
20 But make a store for yourselves in heaven, where it will not be turned to dust and where thieves do not come in to take it away:
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
20 θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν·
21 For where your wealth is, there will your heart be.
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
21 ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρὸς ὑμῶν, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν.
22 The light of the body is the eye; if then your eye is true, all your body will be full of light.
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.
22 Ὁ λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθαλμός· ἐὰν οὖν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἁπλοῦς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινόν ἔσται·
23 But if your eye is evil, all your body will be dark. If then the light which is in you is dark, how dark it will be!
23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
23 ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν ἔσται. εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστί, τὸ σκότος πόσον;
24 No man is able to be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other, or he will keep to one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
24 Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει. οὐ δύνασθε Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ.
25 So I say to you, Take no thought for your life, about food or drink, or about clothing for your body. Is not life more than food, and the body more than its clothing?
25 Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
25 Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε καὶ τί πίητε, μηδὲ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν τί ἐνδύσησθε· οὐχὶ ἡ ψυχὴ πλεῖόν ἐστι τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος;
26 See the birds of heaven; they do not put seeds in the earth, they do not get in grain, or put it in store-houses; and your Father in heaven gives them food. Are you not of much more value than they?
26 See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
26 ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι οὐ σπείρουσιν οὐδὲ θερίζουσιν οὐδὲ συνάγουσιν εἰς ἀποθήκας, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά· οὐχ ὑμεῖς μᾶλλον διαφέρετε αὐτῶν;
27 And which of you by taking thought is able to make himself a cubit taller?
27 “Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
27 τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν μεριμνῶν δύναται προσθεῖναι ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ πῆχυν ἕνα;
28 And why are you troubled about clothing? See the flowers of the field, how they come up; they do no work, they make no thread:
28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,
28 καὶ περὶ ἐνδύματος τί μεριμνᾶτε; καταμάθετε τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ πῶς αὐξάνει· οὐ κοπιᾷ οὐδὲ νήθει·
29 But I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.
29 λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδὲ Σολομὼν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ περιεβάλετο ὡς ἓν τούτων.
30 But if God gives such clothing to the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is put into the oven, will he not much more give you clothing, O you of little faith?
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
30 Εἰ δὲ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ, σήμερον ὄντα καὶ αὔριον εἰς κλίβανον βαλλόμενον, ὁ Θεὸς οὕτως ἀμφιέννυσιν, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς, ὀλιγόπιστοι;
31 Then do not be full of care, saying, What are we to have for food or drink? or, With what may we be clothed?
31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
31 μὴ οὖν μεριμνήσητε λέγοντες, τί φάγωμεν ἢ τί πίωμεν ἢ τί περιβαλώμεθα;
32 Because the Gentiles go in search of all these things: for your Father in heaven has knowledge that you have need of all these things:
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
32 πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπιζητεῖ· οἶδε γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ὅτι χρῄζετε τούτων ἁπάντων.
33 But let your first care be for his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in addition.
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
33 ζητεῖτε δὲ πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν.
34 Then have no care for tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Take the trouble of the day as it comes.
34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
34 Μὴ οὖν μεριμνήσητε εἰς τὴν αὔριον· ἡ γὰρ αὔριον μεριμνήσει τὰ ἑαυτῆς· ἀρκετὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς.
Cross references (34)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Matthew 23:5; John 12:43; Hebrews 6:10; Matthew 23:28–30; Luke 16:15
- 2 Matthew 6:5; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15; John 5:41; Matthew 6:16; James 2:15–16
- 3 John 7:4; Matthew 9:30; Mark 1:44; Matthew 12:19
- 4 Matthew 6:18; Matthew 6:6; Jeremiah 17:10; Luke 14:14; Psalm 44:21
- 5 Matthew 6:2; Luke 18:10–11; Luke 18:13; Mark 11:25; Isaiah 55:6–7
- 6 2 Kings 4:33; Matthew 14:23; Isaiah 65:24; Acts 9:40; Psalm 34:15
- 7 Ecclesiastes 5:2–3; Ecclesiastes 5:7; 1 Kings 18:26–29; Matthew 6:32; Matthew 26:44
- 8 Matthew 6:32; Luke 12:30; Philippians 4:6; John 16:23–27; Psalm 38:9
- 9 Luke 11:1–4; Revelation 4:11; Romans 8:15; Isaiah 64:8; Psalm 111:9
- 10 Hebrews 10:36; Matthew 26:42; Matthew 12:50; John 4:34; 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- 11 Proverbs 30:8; Luke 11:3; Matthew 4:4; Psalm 34:10; John 6:31–59
- 12 Ephesians 4:32; Mark 11:25; Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 18:21–35; Colossians 3:13
- 13 1 Corinthians 10:13; John 17:15; Revelation 7:14–17; Matthew 26:41; 2 Thessalonians 3:3
- 14 Ephesians 4:32; Mark 11:25; Colossians 3:13; Matthew 7:2; James 2:13
- 15 Matthew 18:35
- 16 Isaiah 58:3–5; Matthew 9:14–15; Nehemiah 1:4; Daniel 9:3; Psalm 69:10
- 17 Ruth 3:3; Ecclesiastes 9:8; 2 Samuel 12:20; Daniel 10:2–3; 2 Samuel 14:2
- 18 Matthew 6:6; Matthew 6:4; 2 Corinthians 10:18; 2 Corinthians 5:9; 1 Peter 2:13
- 19 Hebrews 13:5; 1 John 2:15–16; Luke 12:21; Proverbs 23:4–5; James 5:1–3
- 20 Luke 12:33; Matthew 19:21; 1 Timothy 6:19; James 2:5; Luke 18:22
- 21 Colossians 3:1–3; Luke 12:34; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Proverbs 4:23; Isaiah 33:6
- 22 Luke 11:34–36; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Colossians 3:22
- 23 1 John 2:11; Matthew 6:22; Isaiah 5:20–21; Jeremiah 4:22; Proverbs 26:12
- 24 1 John 2:15–16; Luke 16:13; James 4:4; 1 Timothy 6:9–10; Joshua 24:15
- 25 Philippians 4:6; Romans 8:32; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 55:22; Luke 12:22–31
- 26 Matthew 10:29–31; Psalm 147:9; Luke 12:24–32; Job 38:41; Psalm 145:15–16
- 27 Luke 12:25–26; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Matthew 5:36; Psalm 39:5–6; 1 Corinthians 12:18
- 28 Matthew 6:25; Philippians 4:6; Luke 12:27; Luke 22:35–36; Matthew 6:31
- 29 2 Chronicles 9:20–22; 2 Chronicles 9:4–6; 1 Timothy 2:9–10; 1 Kings 10:4–7; 1 Peter 3:2–5
- 30 Luke 12:28; Matthew 14:31; 1 Peter 1:24; Matthew 8:26; Matthew 16:8
- 31 1 Peter 5:7; Luke 12:29; Matthew 4:4; Psalm 55:22; Matthew 15:33
- 32 Matthew 6:8; Luke 12:30; Ephesians 4:17; Luke 11:11–13; Psalm 17:14
- 33 Luke 12:31; Matthew 5:6; John 6:27; Psalm 34:9–10; Psalm 84:11–12
- 34 Matthew 6:25; John 14:27; Hebrews 13:5–6; John 16:33; Luke 11:3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
Why does my Bible say something different?
- Matthew 6:13: “For thine is the kingdom…”
The closing doxology of the Lord’s Prayer, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,” is missing from the oldest Greek manuscripts of Matthew and from most of the Latin tradition, but it is very old: a shorter form already appears in the Didache. The Patriarchal Text includes it, and in the Divine Liturgy the priest sings it in a Trinitarian form. Most scholars see it as an early liturgical response that entered the text.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The order established for your edification requires that ye learn first what to believe, and afterwards what to ask. For so saith the Apostle, "Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord, shall be saved." This testimony blessed Paul cited out of the Prophet; for by the Prophet were those times foretold, when all men should call upon God; …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
He roots out in what remains the most tyrannical passion of all, the rage and madness with respect to vainglory, which springs up in them that do right.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Lay up treasure, therefore, in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt." And, "Be ye kind and merciful, as your Father also is kind and merciful, and maketh His sun to rise on sinners, and the righteous, and the wicked.
In like manner also, that [text] which says, "Ye cannot serve two masters," He does Himself interpret, saying, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon;" acknowledging God indeed as God, but mentioning mammon, a thing having also an existence.
… unto me, through that Medicine of our wounds who hung upon the tree, and who, sitting at Thy right hand, "maketh intercession for us." I know that she acted mercifully, and from the heart forgave her debtors their debts; do Thou also forgive her debts, whatever she contracted during so many years since the water of salvation.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)