Fifty Select Passages from the Poetic New Testament and the Complete Book of Mark: A Modern Paraphrased Translation

By Brady R. R. Downing Sr.

This book is intended to be used as a study manual. The fifty passages were pulled out from the New Testament because of their value as training/study tools. The "Biblical Food for Thought" and "Topics of Discussion" were added for the same reason. Then, the Book of Mark was added for a special reason. Many, many hours were invested on Mark 16:18 over a two-year period. But the finished product was worth every one of those many hours. This verse is discussed at great length in "Topics of Discussion." It is our prayer that reading and studying this book is a learning experience for everyone who will read and study it. To visit the author's personal website, please click HERE!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781643503387

Book preview

King James Version

MATTHEW 2:1–4:12

The Birth of Jesus

The Baptism of Jesus

Temptation of Jesus by Satan

Matthew 2:1

¹Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, ²Saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. ³When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. ⁵And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, ⁶And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judaea, art not the least among the princes of Judaea: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. ⁷Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. ⁹When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

¹¹And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. ¹³And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

¹⁴When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: ¹⁵And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. ¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

¹⁷Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, ¹⁸ln Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. ¹⁹But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.

²⁰Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. ²¹And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee; ²³And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Poetic New Testament

MATTHEW 2:1–4:12

The Birth of Jesus

The Baptism of Jesus

Temptation of Jesus by Satan

Matthew 2:1

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem (which is in Judea), during the time that Herod reigned as king, some wise men came from the east to Jerusalem. "Where is the Child who is born King of the Jews?" This was what they wanted to know. Then they said, We saw His star from where we were in the east, and we have come to worship Him. Herod was troubled, along with all of Jerusalem, when he heard that news!

1, 2, 3

So he called all the chief priests and the scribes of the people together, and he started questioning them;

He wanted to know where the Christ would be born. He will be born in Bethlehem, in Judea," was their reply.

For it is written by the prophet, ‘And you, Bethlehem, in Judah, are not least among the princes of Judah; For from you a Governor will come, to rule My people Israel.’ Herod asked when the star first appeared in the sky.

4, 5, 6, 7

(He asked that in a private meeting with the wise men.) Then he sent them on to Bethlehem, saying, "Go search diligently for the young Child, and when you find Him, send me a report of where you are,

For I want to come worship Him, also." The wise men then left, and the star, the one they saw in the east, went ahead of them and stopped over the young Child. They rejoiced greatly when they again saw the star.

7 cont., 8, 9, 10

When they came into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and then they fell down, worshiping Him. They opened their gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then God told them what to do. In a dream, He told them, Don’t return to Herod, return home another way, which they did. After they left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, and take the young Child and His mother with you.

11, 12, 13

Flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave, for Herod will search for the young Child to kill Him." So Joseph got up, and, taking the young Child and His mother, left at night for Egypt, as he had been told.

He was there until Herod’s death, fulfilling what the Lord said through the prophet: Out of Egypt have I called My Son. Herod was furious when he saw the wise men had tricked him, and had all boys killed; two years or under two years old.

13 cont., 14, 15, 16

His orders were given for Bethlehem, and all the surrounding area. When he asked the wise men about the star, they had told him they had seen it about two years before. This fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah, who prophesied: In Ramah a voice was heard; sorrowful, mournful, and weeping. Rachel weeping for her children, refusing comfort, for they are gone. Then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, in Egypt. This was after King Herod had died.

16 cont., 17, 18, 19

He told Joseph, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to Israel. All who wanted to kill Him have died. So Joseph arose, took the young Child and His mother, and went to Israel. But when he heard, now that Herod was dead, His son Archelaus ruled Judea in his place, he didn’t want to go there. But God warned him in a dream, sending him to Galilee. He went to Nazareth and lived there, fulfilling another prophecy. He shall be called a Nazarene, the prophecy had said.

20, 21, 22, 23

King James Version

MATTHEW 3

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:1

¹In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, ²And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ³For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁴And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

⁵Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, ⁶And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, 0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: ⁹And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

¹⁰And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ¹¹I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

¹²Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. ¹³Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. ¹⁴But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

¹⁵And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. ¹⁶And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: ¹⁷And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Poetic New Testament

MATTHEW 3

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:1

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness area of Judea. He said, You should repent, For the kingdom of heaven is near. John was the one Isaiah referred to when he spoke, having this to say: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make a straight path for Him.’ His clothes were made from camel’s hair, he wore a leather belt, and locusts and wild honey was his food every day.

1, 2, 3, 4

The people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and the entire region of Jordan came out to where John was.

They confessed their sins, and were baptized by John in the Jordan River. Many Pharisees and Sadducees came out, too. When John saw they came to be baptized, he said to them, "You vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? You should produce fruit that will show that you have repented. And don’t try to have this thought within you.

5, 6, 7, 8, 9

‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you, God can raise up these stones as children for Abraham. Now, also, the axe is laid at the root of the trees. All trees will be cut down if they’re unfruitful in what they do; They will be cast into the fire. I baptize you by water, as a sign of your repentance. But One comes after me, greater than I am, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. By the Holy Spirit and fire will He baptize you!

9 cont., 10, 11

His sifting fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His floor, and gather His wheat into the barn.

He will burn up the chaff with a fire that is unquenchable." At that time, Jesus came from Galilee.

He came from Galilee to the Jordan River, where John was preaching, so He could be baptized by John_

But at first, John didn’t want to baptize Jesus. He said, "I need to be baptized by You, and You’re coming to me?"

12, 13, 14

Then Jesus answered him by saying, Allow this to be done now, so we will properly fulfill all righteousness. Then John agreed to baptize Him. And Jesus, as soon as He was baptized, came up out of the water, straightway. At that time the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending on Him like a dove.

The Spirit landed on Him, then, This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, He heard a voice from heaven say.

15, 16, 17

King James Version

MATTHEW 4

The Temptation of Jesus by Satan

Matthew 4:1

¹Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. ²And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. ³And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. ⁴But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

⁵Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, ⁶And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. ⁷Jesus said unto him, It is writ­ ten again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. ⁸Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

⁹And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. ¹⁰Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. ¹¹Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. ¹²Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee.

MATTHEW 5:1–7:29

The Sermon on the Mountain

¹And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: ²And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, ³Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. ⁷Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. ¹⁰Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. ¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. ¹³Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savior, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Poetic New Testament

MATTHEW 4

The Temptation of Jesus by Satan

Matthew 4:1

Then the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by satan. He became hungry,

Because He fasted forty days and forty nights. Then satan came to Him with these temptations: he said:

If You are the Son of God, give the command for these stones to be turned into bread. Jesus replied,

"It is written in the scriptures, ‘You live by every word that comes from God’s mouth; not by just eating bread.’"

1, 2, 3, 4

Then satan took Jesus to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said to Him,

"If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written: ‘God will instruct the angels about you;

In their hands they will hold you up, lest at any time you strike your foot against a stone.’" Jesus said,

It is also written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ Next, it was a mountain satan carried Him to.

5, 6, 7, 8

And it was a very high mountain. From there, satan showed Him all the world’s kingdoms, and their glory.

He told Jesus, I will give You all of these things, if You will fall down and worship me. "Get away from Me," Jesus replied to him, For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’ Then satan left Him, and angels came to minister to Him. When He learned John was in prison, He went back to Galilee.

8 cont., 9, 10, 11, 12

MATTHEW 5:1–7:29

The Sermon on the Mountain

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down; then His disciples came to Him.

He opened His mouth, and this is how He taught them: "Blessed are those without any spiritual self-pride;

The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Blessed are those who care deeply; who mourn. They will be comforted; comforted by God. Blessed are the gentle in spirit; they will receive all of God’s blessings, with nothing denied.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Blessed are those who have a hunger and thirst for righteousness; God will completely fill them.

Blessed are those who show mercy to the suffering; if they suffer, they will be shown mercy when they do.

Blessed are those who have a pure heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are those who are peacemakers;

They shall be called God’s children. Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness’ sake; heaven’s kingdom is theirs, too.

6, 7, 8, 9, 10

You will be blessed when people verbally abuse you, persecute you, speak evil against you falsely,

All because you are My followers. Rejoice over that; be glad, for heaven itself will greatly reward you.

(The prophets before you were persecuted.) You are the salt of the earth, but if you lose your purity and flavor, Who will purify and flavor the earth then? Your saltiness would be worthless, out of everyone’s view.

11, 12, 13

King James Version

Matthew 5:14

¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

¹⁷Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. ¹⁹Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²¹Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: ²²But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

²³Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; ²⁴Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift

²⁵Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. ²⁷Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

²⁸But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. ²⁹And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. ³⁰And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³¹lt hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: ³²But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. ³³Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

Poetic New Testament

Matthew 5:13 cont.

It would, in effect, be trampled underfoot. But you are the light of the world! You are a city on a hill, And you can’t be hidden from view. You don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket, making the light dim. No, you put it on a lampstand, so it will give light to everyone in the house. So, you let your light shine; let it shine before others, so they can see your good works, and worship your Heavenly Father, and praise Him.

13 cont., 14, 15, 16

Don’t think that I have come to invalidate, or cancel out, the Law or the Prophets. No, on the contrary, I came to validate the Law and Prophets; to fulfill them. And this is the truth, what I now say:

As long as heaven and earth remains, not one jot or tittle of the Law will be cancelled, until it is all fulfilled. Whoever breaks the least of God’s commands will be least in heaven’s kingdom, if they teach others to act that way.

17, 18, 19

But whoever obeys God’s commands, and teaches others to obey them, will be great in heaven’s kingdom. But listen: unless you are more faithful than the scribes and Pharisees about obeying what God tells you to do,

You won’t even enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that people were told years ago, ‘You shall not murder, And anyone who does commit murder will be in danger of judgment.’ But now I have more to say to you.

19 cont., 20, 21, 22

Whoever is angry with their brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment. If they say to him, ‘You stupid empty-head,’ they will be brought before the Council. But if, ‘You are a fool’, is what they say, They shall be in danger of the fire of hell. So if you bring your gift to the altar, and then you remember, ‘My brother has something against me’, leave your gift there at the altar, but you be on your way!

22 cont., 23, 24

First, be reconciled to your brother; then come back and offer your gift. Settle with your foe quickly, Before you get to court, lest he hand you over to a court officer, who could give you to a judge above him. Then you could be imprisoned. And I am telling you, you won’t be released until you pay the entire debt.

The commandment, ‘You shall not commit adultery’: you’ve heard how people long ago had that said to them.

24 cont., 25, 26, 27

But I say, whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away. You would have a better situation,

Just losing one member, than if you were thrown into eternal damnation. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and throw it away. Again, losing one member is better than you being thrown into eternal damnation.

28, 29, 30

It has been said, Any man who divorces his wife must give her a ‘bill of divorce.’ But I say to you, any man who divorces his wife, except when there was fornication during the marriage committed by him, causes his wife to commit adultery. The man who marries the divorced woman commits adultery, also. Again, you have heard it was said long ago, "Don’t swear falsely; your oaths must be performed, all of them."

31, 32, 33

King James Version

Matthew 5:34

³⁴But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: ³⁵Nor by the earth; for it is his foot­ stool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. ³⁷But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. ³⁸Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

³⁹But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, tum to him the other also. ⁴⁰And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. ⁴¹And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. ⁴²Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. ⁴³Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. ⁴⁴But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

⁴⁵That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? ⁴⁷And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? ⁴⁸Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

MATTHEW 6

¹Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. ²Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the 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. ³But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

⁴That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. ⁵And 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. ⁶But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Poetic New Testament

Matthew 5:34

But I say to you, don’t swear at all! Don’t swear by heaven, it is God’s throne. Don’t swear by the earth, For it is His footstool. Don’t swear by Jerusalem, it is the city of the great King. Don’t swear by your head, Because you can’t make even one hair white or black. Just let what you say be ‘yes, yes’ or ‘no, no’; Anything more comes from the evil one. Now, ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’, you’ve heard it said.

34, 35, 36, 37, 38

But I say to you, don’t resist an evil act; if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him.

If someone sues you, and takes your coat, give him your cloak, too. If you’re compelled to go a mile, go two. Give to anyone who asks you; don’t turn away from anyone wanting to borrow from you. You’ve heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy’. But I say, Love your enemies, bless them who curse you.

39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44

Do good to anyone who hates you, pray for those who are hateful and malicious in their dealings with you. Pray for those who persecute you, then you will be your Heavenly Father’s children. The evil receives the sun from above, Just like the good; rain falls on the just and unjust. Loving those who love you isn’t praiseworthy; the publicans do that. Just greeting your brothers isn’t special; the publicans do that. Show perfect love, like your Heavenly Father’s love.

44 cont., 45, 46, 47, 48

MATTHEW 6

Be careful that when you do good things for other people, you don’t do them so the public can see you.

If they are done publicly, you won’t receive any reward from your Heavenly Father. So when you help someone. Don’t sound a trumpet like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so people can glorify them. I am telling you the truth, they have their reward. No, don’t let one hand know what the other hand has done.

1, 2, 3

Your deeds need to be done secretly, but your Father, who sees those secret things, will reward you openly. And when you pray, don’t pray like the hypocrites; they stand in the synagogues and street comers, in the public’s view.

(They love to do that while they pray). Truthfully, I tell you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, Go into your prayer closet, close the door, and pray in private to your Father. Then your Father will openly reward you.

4, 5, 6

And when you pray, don’t keep repeating yourself as the heathen do; they think God just answers long prayers, so don’t be like them. And, really, your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This is how you pray, then:

"Our Father in heaven, we bless Your name. May Your kingdom come to earth, so Your will can be done here as it is done in heaven. Give us our food for today. Forgive us when we sin, as we forgive others who sin.

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

King James Version

Matthew 6:13

¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,