6“And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; otherwise^a you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ²Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! ³But you, when you^* practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴in order that your charitable giving may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Sermon on the Mount: How to Pray

⁵And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and^* pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! ⁶But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door and^* pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷“But when you^* pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard. ⁸Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need^b before you ask him. ⁹Therefore you pray in this way:

“Our Father who is in heaven,

may your name be treated as holy.

¹⁰May your kingdom come,

may your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us today our daily bread,

¹²and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³And do not bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.^c

¹⁴For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

The Sermon on the Mount: How to Fast

¹⁶“Whenever you fast, do not be sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unrecognizable in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full! ¹⁷But when^* you are fasting, put olive oil on your head^d and wash your face ¹⁸so that you will not be seen by people as fasting, but to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Read in Logos

Matthew 6:6: But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Footnotes

aLiterally “but if not”
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“practice”) which is understood as temporal
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stand”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“shut”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“pray”) which is understood as temporal
bLiterally “of what you have need”
cOr “evil”; most later Greek manuscripts add the phrase “for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen”
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“fasting”) which is understood as temporal
dLiterally “anoint your head”