Mateus 6

¹ Take heed that ye do not yourAmbition makes alms vain.alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have noThis word «reward» is always taken in the scriptures for a free recompense, and therefore the schoolmen fondly set it to be answerable to a deserving, which they call «merit».reward of your Father which is in heaven.

² Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as theCounterfeits, for hypocrites were players that played a part in a play.hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

³ But when thou doest thine almes, let not thy left hand knowe what thy right hand doeth,

⁴ That thine almes may be in secret, and thy Father that seeth in secret, hee will rewarde thee openly.

⁵ He rebukes two revolting faults in prayer, ambition, and vain babbling.And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

⁶ But when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber and when thou hast shut thy doore, pray vnto thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall rewarde thee openly.

⁷ But when ye pray, use notLong prayers are not condemned, but vain, needless, and superstitious ones.vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

⁸ Be ye not like them therefore: for your Father knoweth whereof ye haue neede, before ye aske of him.

⁹ A true sum and form of all christian prayers.After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰ Thy Kingdome come. Thy will be done euen in earth, as it is in heauen.

¹¹ Give us this day ourThat which is suitable for our nature for our daily food, or such as may suffice our nature and complexion.daily bread.

¹² And forgiue vs our dettes, as we also forgiue our detters.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us fromFrom the devil, or from all adversity.evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

¹⁴ They that forgive wrongs, to them sins are forgiven, but revenge is prepared for them that take revenge.For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

¹⁵ But if ye do not forgiue men their trespasses,, no more will your father forgiue you your trespaces.

¹⁶ That is, those that desire a name of holiness by fasting.Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for theyThey do not let their original pallor to be seen, that is to say, they mar the natural colour of their faces, that they may seem lean and palefaced.disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

¹⁷ But when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face,

¹⁸ That thou seeme not vnto men to fast, but vnto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret, will rewarde thee openly.

¹⁹ The labours of those men are shown to be vain, which pass not for the assured treasure of everlasting life, but spend their lives in scraping together stale and vain riches.Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

²⁰ But lay vp treasures for your selues in heauen, where neither the mothe nor canker corrupteth, & where theeues neither digge through, nor steale.

²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

²² Men maliciously and wickedly put out even the little light of nature that is in them.The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thineThe judgment of the mind: that as the body is with the eyes, so our whole life may be ruled with right reason, that is to say, with the Spirit of God who gives light to us.eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

²³ But if thine eye be wicked, then all thy body shalbe darke. Wherefore if the light that is in thee, be darkenes, howe great is that darkenesse?

²⁴ God will be worshipped by the whole man.No man can serveWho are at odds with one another, for if two agree they are as one.two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God andThis word is a Syrian word, and signifies all things that belong to money.mammon.

²⁵ The perverse burdensome carefulness for things of this life, is corrected in the children of God by an earnest thinking upon the providence of God.Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

²⁶ Behold the fowls of theOf the air, or that line in the air: in almost all languages the word «heaven» is taken for the air.air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

²⁷ Which of you byHe speaks of care which is joined with thought of mind, and has for the most part distrust yoked with it.taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

²⁸ And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; theyBy labour.toil not, neither do they spin:

²⁹ Yet I say vnto you, that euen Solomon in all his glorie was not arayed like one of these.

³⁰ Wherefore if God so clothe the grasse of the fielde which is to day, and to morowe is cast into the ouen, shall he not doe much more vnto you, O ye of litle faith?

³¹ Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eate? or what shall we drinke? or where with shall we be clothed?

³² (For after all these things seeke the Gentiles) for your heauenly Father knoweth, that ye haue neede of all these things.

³³ But seeke ye first the kingdome of God, and his righteousnesse, and all these things shall be ministred vnto you.

³⁴ Care not then for the morowe: for the morowe shall care for it selfe: the day hath ynough with his owne griefe.