Matthew 6 - Easy To Read Version

¹ “Be careful! When you do good things, don’t do those things in front of people. Don’t do those things for people to see you. If you do that, then you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “When you give to poor people, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t do like the hypocrites {\cf2\super [73]} do. They blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They do that in the synagogues {\cf2\super [74]} and on the streets. They want other people to give honor to them. I tell you the truth. Those hypocrites already have their full reward.

³ So when you give to poor people, give very secretly. Don’t let any person know what you are doing.

⁴ Your giving should be done in secret. Your Father can see the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you.

⁵ “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. {\cf2\super [75]} The hypocrites love to stand in the synagogues {\cf2\super [76]} and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them pray. I tell you the truth. They already have their full reward.

⁶ When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that secret place. Your Father can see the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, don’t be like those people that don’t know God. They continue saying things that mean nothing. Don’t pray like that. They think that God will hear them because of the many things they say.

⁸ Don’t be like those people. Your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.

⁹ So when you pray, you should pray like this:

¹⁰ We pray that your kingdom will come,\par and that the things you want\par will be done here on earth,\par the same as in heaven.\par

¹¹ Give us the food we need for each day.\par

¹² Forgive the sins we have done,\par the same as we have forgiven the people\par that did wrong to us.\par

¹³ Don’t let us be tempted (tested);\par but save us from the Evil One\par (the devil).’ {\cf2\super [77]} \par

¹⁴ Yes, if you forgive other people for the things they do wrong, then your Father in heaven will also forgive you for the things you do wrong.

¹⁵ But if you don’t forgive the wrong things people do to you, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrong things you do.

¹⁶ “When you fast, {\cf2\super [78]} don’t make yourselves look sad. The hypocrites {\cf2\super [79]} do that. Don’t be like the hypocrites. They make their faces look strange to show people that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.

¹⁷ So when you fast, make yourself look nice. Wash your face.

¹⁸ Then people will not know that you are fasting. But your Father that you cannot see will see you. Your Father sees the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you.

¹⁹ “Don’t save treasures for yourselves here on earth. Moths and rust will destroy treasures here on earth. And thieves can break into your house and steal the things you have.

²⁰ So save your treasure in heaven. The treasures in heaven cannot be destroyed by moths or rust. And thieves cannot break in and steal that treasure.

²¹ Your heart will be where your treasure is.

²² “How you look at other people makes you the kind of person you are.

²³ If you look at people and want to help them, you will be full of light (goodness). But if you look at people in a selfish way, you will be full of darkness (evil). And if the only light you have is really darkness, then you have the worst kind of darkness. {\cf2\super [80]}

²⁴ “No person can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one master and love the other master. Or he will follow one master and refuse to follow the other master. So you cannot serve God and Money {\cf2\super [81]} at the same time.

²⁵ “So I tell you, don’t worry about the food you need to live. And don’t worry about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more important than food. And the body is more important than clothes.

²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or save food in barns. But your heavenly Father feeds those birds. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.

²⁷ You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the flowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves.

²⁹ But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.

³⁰ God clothes the grass in the field like that. That grass is living today, but tomorrow it is thrown into the fire to be burned. So you know that God will clothe you much more. Don’t have so little faith!

³¹ Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

³² All the people that don’t know God try to get these things. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need these things.

³³ The thing you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing the good things God wants you to do. Then all these other things you need will be given to you.

³⁴ So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.