Giving to the Needy

¹“Be careful not to perform your righteous actsbefore men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

²So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

⁴so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

The Lord’s Prayer

⁵And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

⁶But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁷And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁹So then, this is how you should pray:‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be Your name.

¹⁰Your kingdom come,Your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.

Proper Fasting

¹⁶When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

¹⁸so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rustdestroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

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

The Lamp of the Body

²²The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good,your whole body will be full of light.

²³But if your eyes are bad,your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

²⁶Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.

²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.

³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

³²For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

³³But seek first the kingdom of Godand His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

The Parable of the Sower

¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.

²Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.

³And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.

⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

⁵Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.

⁶But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

⁹He who has ears,let him hear.”

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables

¹⁰Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:‘Though seeing, they do not see;though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

¹⁴In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

¹⁵For this people’s heart has grown callous;they hardly hear with their ears,and they have closed their eyes.Otherwise they might see with their eyes,hear with their ears,understand with their hearts,and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹⁶But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

¹⁷For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹⁸Consider, then, the parable of the sower:

¹⁹When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sownalong the path.

²⁰The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.

²¹But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

²²The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²³But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

²⁵But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.

²⁶When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.

³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³¹He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field.

³²Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

The Parable of the Leaven

³³He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

I Will Open My Mouth in Parables

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable.

³⁵So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:“I will open My mouth in parables;I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

³⁸The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

⁴¹The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.

⁴²And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

⁴⁶When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.

⁴⁸When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away.

⁴⁹So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous

⁵⁰and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹Have you understood all these things?”“Yes,” they answered.

⁵²Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

The Rejection at Nazareth

⁵³When Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from that place.

⁵⁴Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.

⁵⁵“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph,Simon, and Judas?

⁵⁶Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?”

⁵⁷And they took offense at Him.But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

⁵⁸And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.

The Genealogy of Jesus

¹This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

²Abraham was the father of Isaac,Isaac the father of Jacob,and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

³Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,Perez the father of Hezron,and Hezron the father of Ram.

⁴Ram was the father of Amminadab,Amminadab the father of Nahshon,and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

⁵Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,Obed the father of Jesse,

⁶and Jesse the father of David the king.Next:David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

⁷Solomon the father of Rehoboam,Rehoboam the father of Abijah,and Abijah the father of Asa.

⁸Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,and Joram the father of Uzziah.

⁹Uzziah was the father of Jotham,Jotham the father of Ahaz,and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

¹⁰Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,Manasseh the father of Amon,Amon the father of Josiah,

¹¹and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothersat the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹²After the exile to Babylon:Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

¹³Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,Abiud the father of Eliakim,and Eliakim the father of Azor.

¹⁴Azor was the father of Zadok,Zadok the father of Achim,and Achim the father of Eliud.

¹⁵Eliud was the father of Eleazar,Eleazar the father of Matthan,Matthan the father of Jacob,

¹⁶and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

The Birth of Jesus

¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.

²⁰But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

²¹She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus,because He will save His people from their sins.”

²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

²³“Behold, the virgin will be with childand will give birth to a son,and they will call Him Immanuel”(which means, “God with us”).

²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and embraced Mary as his wife.

²⁵But he had no union with heruntil she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

Warnings about the Adulteress

¹My son, keep my wordsand treasure my commandments within you.

²Keep my commandments and live;guard my teachings as the appleof your eye.

³Tie them to your fingers;write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”and call understanding your kinsman,

⁵that they may keep you from the adulteress,from the stranger with seductive words.

⁶For at the window of my houseI looked through the lattice.

⁷I saw among the simple,I noticed among the youths,a young man lacking judgment,

⁸crossing the street near her corner,strolling down the road to her house,

⁹at twilight, as the day was fadinginto the dark of the night.

¹⁰Then a woman came out to meet him,with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.

¹¹She is loud and defiant;her feet do not remain at home.

¹²Now in the street, now in the squares,she lurks at every corner.

¹³She seizes him and kisses him;she brazenly says to him:

¹⁴“I have made my peace offerings;today I have paid my vows.

¹⁵So I came out to meet you;I sought you, and I have found you.

¹⁶I have decked my bed with coverings,with colored linen from Egypt.

¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,with aloes, and with cinnamon.

¹⁸Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.Let us delight in loving caresses!

¹⁹For my husband is not at home;he has gone on a long journey.

²⁰He took with him a bag of moneyand will not return till the moon is full.”

²¹With her great persuasion she entices him;with her flattering lips she lures him.

²²He follows her on impulse,like an ox going to the slaughter,like a deer bounding into a trap,

²³until an arrow pierces his liver,like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his life.

²⁴Now, my sons, listen to me,and attend to the words of my mouth.

²⁵Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;do not stray into her paths.

²⁶For she has brought many down to death;her slain are many in number.

²⁷Her house is the road to Sheol,descending to the chambers of death.