“Keep your righteousness private. Don’t show it off. 2So, when y’all give to charity, don’t announce it, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets, so that everyone else would glorify them. Yes, I tell y’all, they have their reward. 3But you, when you give to charity, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4That way, your charity will be hidden, and your Father, seeing everything that is hidden, will reward you.
5“And when y’all pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand up and pray in the synagogues and the street corners so that everyone can see them. Yes, I tell y’all, they have their reward. 6But you, when you pray, go into your closet and close the door. Then pray to your Father who is hidden, and your Father, seeing what is hidden, will give you your reward. 7When you pray, don’t babble like the gentiles do. They think that if they use a lot of words, they’ll be heard more completely. 8Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9So, pray like this:
Our Heavenly Father,
Your name is holy.
10Bring Your Empire.
Let Your will happen,
as it is in Heaven, also on earth.
11Give us our sustaining bread today.
12Forgive our debts,
and we’ll forgive our debtors.
13Don’t lead us to temptation,
but rescue us from evil.
It’s Your Empire,
Your power,
and Your glory
forever.
Amen.
14Because if you forgive other people’s trespasses, then your Heavenly Father will forgive you, also. 15But, if you don’t forgive others, then your Father won’t forgive your trespasses.
16“And when y’all fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with their sad faces. They make ugly faces so that everyone will know they’re fasting. Yes, I tell y’all, they’ll get their reward. 17But you, when you fast, scrub your head and wash your face, 18so that others won’t know that you’re fasting, but only your Father, who’s hidden, will see. And your Father, seeing what’s hidden, will reward you.
19“Don’t gather treasures on the earth, where moths will eat it up, rust will destroy it, and thieves will break in and steal it. 20Instead, gather treasures in Heaven where moths and rust and thieves can’t get to them. 21Because wherever your treasure is, that’s where your heart is.
22“The body’s lamp is the eye. So, if your eye is open, then your whole body is enlightened. 23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. And if your light is dark, the darkness is great!
24“Nobody can serve two masters. He’ll either hate one and love the other, or cling to one and disrespect the other. Y’all can’t serve God and gold!
25“So, y’all listen to me! Don’t worry about your soul, or what you’re going to eat, or what you’re going to drink, or about your body and what you’re going to wear. Isn’t your soul more than just food and body and clothes? 26Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant, they don’t harvest, they don’t store anything in the granary. But your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you better than they are? 27Which of you can add one inch to his height by worrying? 28And why worry about clothes? Learn from how the flowers in the field grow. They don’t work and they don’t spin. 29But I tell y’all, not even Solomon with all his glory was dressed like one them. 30But if God dresses up the grass in the field, which lives today but tomorrow will be thrown into the fire, won’t He do much more for y’all, you faithless people? 31So, don’t worry and don’t ask, ‘What’ll we eat?’ or, ‘What’ll we drink?’ or, ‘What’ll we wear?’ 32This is what the Gentiles hunt for. You’re Heavenly Father knows you need these things. 33First seek God’s Empire, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. 34Don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough to worry about.
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