Matthew 6
Wycliffe's Bible
1Take heed, that ye do not your rightwiseness before men, to be seen of them, else ye shall have no meed at your Father that is in heavens. (Take heed, that ye do not do your righteousness before men, to be seen by them, or else ye shall have no reward with your Father, who is in heaven.)

2Therefore when thou doest alms, do not thou trumpet before thee, as (the) hypocrites do in (the) synagogues and (in the) streets, that they be worshipped of men; soothly I say to you, they have received their meed. (And so when thou givest charity, do not thou make noise, or a public show, about it, like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they find honour with men; I tell you the truth, they have received their reward.) 3But when thou doest alms, know not thy left hand what thy right hand doeth, 4that thine alms be in huddles (so that thy charity be given in secret), and thy Father that seeth in huddles, shall requite to thee, (or shall yield to thee).

5And when ye pray, ye shall not be as (the) hypocrites, that love to pray standing in (the) synagogues and [in] (the) corners of (the) streets, to be seen of men [that they be seen of men] (so that they be seen by men); truly I say to you, they have received their meed (I tell you the truth, they have received their reward). 6But when thou shalt pray, enter into thy couch (enter into thy bedchamber), and when the door is shut, pray (to) thy Father in huddles (pray to thy Father in secret, or in private), and thy Father that seeth in huddles, shall yield to thee.

7But in praying do not ye speak much, as heathen men do (as the Gentiles do), for they guess that they be heard in their much speech. 8Therefore do not ye be made like to them, for your Father knoweth what is need[ful] to you, before that ye ask him.

9And thus ye shall pray, Our Father that art in heavens (Our Father who art in heaven), hallowed be thy name;

10thy kingdom come to (thy kingdom come); be thy will done in earth as it is in heaven [thy will be done as in heaven and in earth];

11give to us this day our each day’s bread;

12and forgive to us our debts, as we forgive to our debtors;

13and lead us not into temptation (and do not bring us to the test), but deliver us from evil. Amen. 14For if ye forgive to men their sins, your heavenly Father shall forgive to you your trespasses, (or your sins). 15Soothly if ye forgive not to men [the sins of them], neither your Father shall forgive to you your sins.

16But when ye fast, do not ye be made as (the) hypocrites (be, looking) sorrowful, for they deface themselves, (or they put their faces out of natural terms), to seem fasting to men; truly I say to you, they have received their meed (I tell you the truth, they have received their reward). 17But when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, 18that thou be not seen fasting to men, but (only) to thy Father that is in huddles (so that thou not be seen to be fasting by men, but only by thy Father who is in secret), and thy Father that seeth in privy, (or in huddles), shall yield to thee.

19Do not ye treasure to you(rselves) treasures [here] in earth, where rust and moth destroyeth (it), and where thieves delve (it) out, and steal (it) (and where thieves dig it up, and steal it); 20but gather ye to you(rselves) treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor moth destroyeth (it), and where thieves delve not (it) out, nor steal (it) (and where thieves do not dig it up, nor can steal it). 21For where thy treasure is, there also thine heart is.

22The lantern of thy body is thine eye; if thine eye be simple (if thy eye is single, or is sound), all thy body shall be light-full; 23but if thine eye be wayward, all thy body shall be dark[-full]. If then the light that is in thee be darknesses, how great shall those darknesses be?

24No man may serve two lords, for either he shall hate the one, and love the tother; either he shall sustain the one, and despise the other. Ye may not serve God and riches (Ye cannot serve God and money, or wealth).

25Therefore I say to you, that ye be not busy to your life, what ye shall eat; nor to your body, with what ye shall be clothed. Whether life is not more than meat, and the body more than the cloth? (And so I tell you, do not be concerned about your life, what ye shall eat; nor about your body, with what ye shall be clothed. Is not life more than food, and the body more than a cloak?) 26Behold ye the fowls of the air (Look at the birds of the air), for they sow not, neither reap, neither gather into barns; and your Father of heaven feedeth them. Whether ye be not more worthy than they? 27But who of you (by) thinking may put, (or may add), to his stature one cubit? 28And of clothing what be ye busy? Behold the lilies of the field, how they wax. They travail not, neither they spin; (And why be concerned about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not labour, nor do they spin;) 29and I say to you, that Solomon in all his glory was not covered as one of these. 30And if God clotheth thus the hay of the field, that today is, and tomorrow is cast into an oven, (or is sent into the furnace), (then) how much more you of little faith? 31Therefore do not ye be busy (And so do not be concerned), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what thing shall we be covered? 32For heathen men seek all these things; and your Father knoweth, that ye have need to all these things. (For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your Father knoweth, that ye have need of all these things.) 33Therefore seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his rightwiseness, and all these things shall be cast to you. (And so seek first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these other things shall be thrown, or shall come, unto you.)

34Therefore do not ye be busy into the morrow, for the morrow shall be busy (un)to itself; for it sufficeth to the day his own malice. (And so do not be concerned about tomorrow, for tomorrow shall have its own concerns; for each day sufficeth with its own malice, or with its own problems.)

WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE

Comprising of
Wycliffe’s Old Testament

and

Wycliffe’s New Testament
(Revised Edition)


Translated by

JOHN WYCLIFFE
and JOHN PURVEY


A modern-spelling edition of their
14TH century Middle English translation,
the first complete English vernacular version,
with an Introduction by

TERENCE P. NOBLE

Used by Permission

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