²“When you give to needy people, do not announce it by having trumpets blown. Do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They announce what they do in the synagogues and on the streets. They want to be honored by others. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

³“When you give to the needy, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴Then your giving will be done secretly. Your Father will reward you. He sees what you do secretly.

Prayer

⁵“When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They want to be seen by others. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

⁶“When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can’t be seen. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly.

⁷“When you pray, do not keep talking on and on the way ungodly people do. They think they will be heard because they talk a lot. ⁸Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.

⁹“This is how you should pray.

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

may your name be honored.

¹⁰May your kingdom come.

May what you want to happen be done

on earth as it is done in heaven.

¹¹Give us today our daily bread.

¹²Forgive us our sins,

just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

¹³Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted.

Save us from the evil one.’

¹⁴“Forgive people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

¹⁶“When you go without eating, do not look gloomy like those who only pretend to be holy. They make their faces very sad. They want to show people they are fasting. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

¹⁷“But when you go without eating, put olive oil on your head. Wash your face. ¹⁸Then others will not know that you are fasting. Only your Father, who can’t be seen, will know it. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly.

Put Away Riches in Heaven

¹⁹“Do not put away riches for yourselves on earth. Moths and rust can destroy them. Thieves can break in and steal them. ²⁰Instead, put away riches for yourselves in heaven. There, moths and rust do not destroy them. There, thieves do not break in and steal them. ²¹Your heart will be where your riches are.

²²“The eye is like a lamp for the body. Suppose your eyes are good. Then your whole body will be full of light. ²³But suppose your eyes are bad. Then your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is darkness, then it is very dark!

²⁴“No one can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one of them and love the other. Or he will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can’t serve God and Money at the same time.

Do Not Worry

²⁵“I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes?

²⁶“Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?

²⁷“Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying?

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work or make clothing. ²⁹But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in all of his glory was dressed like one of those flowers.

³⁰“If that is how God dresses the wild grass, won’t he dress you even better? After all, the grass is here only today. Tomorrow it is thrown into the fire. Your faith is so small!

³¹“So don’t worry. Don’t say, ‘What will we eat?’ Or, ‘What will we drink?’ Or, ‘What will we wear?’ ³²People who are ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them.

³³“But put God’s kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all of those things will also be given to you.

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

Be Fair When You Judge Others

7“Do not judge others. Then you will not be judged. ²You will be judged in the same way you judge others. You will be measured in the same way you measure others.

³“You look at the bit of sawdust in your friend’s eye. But you pay no attention to the piece of wood in your own eye. ⁴How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take the bit of sawdust out of your eye’? How can you say this while there is a piece of wood in your own eye?

⁵“You pretender! First take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will be able to see clearly to take the bit of sawdust out of your friend’s eye.

⁶“Do not give holy things to dogs. Do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they might walk all over them. Then they might turn around and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Search, Knock

⁷“Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸Everyone who asks will receive. He who searches will find. The door will be opened to the one who knocks.

⁹“Suppose your son asks for bread. Which of you will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or suppose he asks for a fish. Which of you will give him a snake? ¹¹Even though you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

¹²“In everything, do to others what you would want them to do to you. This is what is written in the Law and in the Prophets.

The Large and Small Gates

¹³“Enter God’s kingdom through the narrow gate. The gate is large and the road is wide that lead to death and hell. Many people go that way. ¹⁴But the gate is small and the road is narrow that lead to life. Only a few people find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you pretending to be sheep. But on the inside they are hungry wolves. ¹⁶You can tell what they really are by what they do.

“Do people pick grapes from bushes? Do they pick figs from thorns? ¹⁷In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit. But a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree can’t bear bad fruit. And a bad tree can’t bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down. It is thrown into the fire. ²⁰You can tell each tree by its fruit.

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants will enter.

²²“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord! Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we drive out demons in your name? Didn’t we do many miracles in your name?’ ²³Then I will tell them clearly, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who do evil!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴“So then, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. But it does not fall. It is built on the rock.

²⁶“But everyone who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man. He builds his house on sand. ²⁷The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. And it falls with a loud crash.”

²⁸Jesus finished saying all these things. The crowds were amazed at his teaching. ²⁹He taught like one who had authority. He did not speak like their teachers of the law.

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