Bible verses about "lent" | JMNT

¹⁵ So Jesus said to them, "The sons of the bridal chamber (or: attendants at a wedding hall; = the wedding guests and friends of the bridegroom; = those either at a wedding celebration or exemplifying that atmosphere) continue unable to mourn or be sad and lamenting upon the situation of however long the bridegroom is with them. And yet days will continue coming when the bridegroom should be lifted up and withdrawn away from them, and at that time they will proceed to be fasting.

³ "I am now saying to you, No. Nevertheless, if you folks should not progressively change your thinking [includes: so as to return to Yahweh], you will all likewise proceed in destroying yourselves [i.e., by coming into conflict with the Romans].

¹ Now before the festival (or: feast) of the Passover, Jesus, having seen and thus knowing that His hour comes (or: came) – to the end that He could (or: should; may; would) change His steps and move (walk differently; transfer; pass over to another place) from out of the midst of this world (ordered System; secular society; human aggregate; universe) toward the Father – loving His own [people? mankind? friends? disciples? created ones?]: those within the world (the System; society; the ordered universe), He loves them unto the end (or: the goal and attained destiny; the finished, purposed product; the accomplished and completed work; the consummation; or: = to the uttermost). ² So, while the evening meal was progressively going on [other MSS: with, or after, the occurring of the evening meal] – the adversary (the one who thrusts something through folks; the devil) having already thrust (cast; hurled; thrown; = put) [the idea or conviction] into the heart of Judah (or: Judas), [son] of Simon Iscariot, that he should hand Him over (or: entrust and commit Him; or: = turn Him in) – ³ Jesus, having seen and now knowing (or: being aware) that the Father has given [other MSS, aorist: gives/gave] all people and all things to Him – into [His] hands – and that He came out from God – forth from the midst [of Him] – and now is continuously leading and bringing [all] under [His] control to God (or: is progressively humbly withdrawing and going back [to be] face to face with God), ⁴ He presently proceeds to get up (or: arise) from the meal (dinner, or, supper), continues to lay aside [His] outer garments, and then taking a linen cloth (a servant's towel; [note: symbol of a priest’s clothing?]) He ties it around Himself (around His waist; or: He girds Himself). ⁵ Next, He proceeds to cast water into the washbasin and was beginning to successively wash the feet of the disciples, and to continue to wipe [them] dry with the linen cloth (or: towel) with which He had girded Himself. ⁶ So He continues coming, then, toward Simon Peter, and that one then says to Him, "O Lord, You, Yourself – are you preparing to wash my feet?" ⁷ Jesus decidedly replies, and says to him, "What I Myself am presently doing, you yourself have not seen and do not understand at present (or: just now), yet after these things you will intimately learn and realize through experience." ⁸ Peter then says to Him, "Under no circumstances can You wash my feet ... unto the Age (= Not in the foreseeable future)!" From discerning, Jesus replied and said to him, "Unless I can (or: If I should not) wash you, you do not continue to hold (or: have) a part with Me." ⁹ Simon Peter then says to Him, "O Lord ... not my feet only, but also [my] hands and [my] head." ¹⁰ Jesus in turn says to him, "The person being one having bathed himself or herself (or, as a passive: being one having been washed and cleansed) does not continue having a need to wash himself or herself – except [his] feet – but rather she or he continues to exist being wholly clean. And you men continue being clean folks – but yet, not everyone (or: not all folks)." ¹¹ For He had seen and knew the one in process of handing Him over. On account of this He said, "Not all are clean ones (or: All men are not clean ones; or: You are not all clean ones)." ¹² After He had washed their feet, He took His outer garments (= He put them back on) and reclined back again, [and] says to them, "Are you men coming to know and personally understand what I have done for you (to you; in you; with and among you folks)? ¹³ "You men are repeatedly addressing (calling) Me 'Teacher (= Rabbi)' and 'Lord (Master),' and you keep on speaking (or: saying [it]) beautifully (ideally; finely), for I am. ¹⁴ "If I Myself, then, the Lord and the Teacher, wash your feet, you men also are constantly indebted (obliged; continuously owe it) to be habitually washing one another's feet, ¹⁵ "for I give (or: gave) an underlying example (or: result of something pointed out as a specimen or illustration shown under your eyes) to you folks, so that just (accordingly; correspondingly) as I Myself do (or: did) for (to; in; among) you, you men should also be repeatedly doing. ¹⁶ "Most assuredly (It is certainly true; Amen, amen), I am saying to you, a slave is not greater than his lord (owner; master), nor [is] one sent with a mission (an emissary; a representative) greater than the one sending him. ¹⁷ "Since (or: If) you have seen and know these things, you are happy (blessed; fortunate) ones – if you may (or: would; should) be habitually doing them.

⁹ "Furthermore, He made not even one separation of any kind (or: He made a distinction in nothing; or: He makes no dividing decision in even one thing) between both us and them, at once cleansing (or: purifying) their hearts by faith (with trust; in The Faithfulness [of Christ]; to and for convinced reliance)!

³ Well-spoken of (or: Eulogized; Blessed; or: Well-gathered, laid-out with ease, and worthy of praise) [is] the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ (or: Who is our Owner, Jesus Christ), the One bringing us to birth again (regenerating us; begetting us back up again; causing us to be born again) down from, in line with and in correspondence to His abundant mercy (or: the much-existing sympathizing and active compassion which is Him) – through Jesus Christ's resurrection forth from out of the midst of dead folks. [We are born again]: into a progressively living expectation (or: into the midst of continuously living hope);

¹⁵ and constantly saying, "The season and appointed situation has been fulfilled (The fertile moment has been filled up and now continues full and is now ripe) and God's kingdom (the reigning and ruling of God as King; God's activity of exercising sovereignty) has approached and is now near at hand and is close enough to touch (= has arrived and is now accessible)! You folks be progressively and continuously changing your thinking – change your perceptions, frame of mind, mode of thought and understanding; change your direction and turn back [toward God] – and be progressively believing while constantly placing your trust in the good news (the message of goodness, ease and wellness)!"

¹⁶ "For thus God loves the world (the universe; the ordered arrangement; the organized system [of life and society]; or: = all mankind), so that He gives His uniquely-born [with other MSS: the only-begotten] Son, (or, reading wste as an adverb: You see, in this manner God loves the sum total of created beings as being the Son: He gives the Only-begotten One; or: reading wV te: For you see, [it is] in this way [that] God loves the aggregate of humanity – even as it were His Son: He gives the uniquely-born One), to the end that all (or: everyone) – the one habitually believing, putting confidence and trusting into Him – would not lose or destroy himself, or cause himself to fall into ruin, but rather can continuously have (or: would habitually possess and hold) eonian life (age-durative life with qualities derived from the Age [of the Messiah]; living existence of and for the ages). [note 1): I have here given the “fact” sense of the aorist tense of the verbs “love” and “give” rather than the simple past tense. The statement by Jesus is a “timeless” fact of God; it signifies that the object of His love and His gift (that object being the cosmos, the universe, the world of men and created beings) is in view as a whole, and both the love and the gift are presented as fact, as one complete whole (punctiliar) which exists apart from any sense of time (i.e., coming from the realm or sphere of the “eternal,” or, “the Being of God;” note 2): Paul Tillich defines "love" (agape): the whole being's drive and movement toward reunion with another, to overcome existential separation; an ecstatic manifestation of the Spiritual Presence; acceptance of the object of love without restriction, in spite of the estranged, profanized and demonized state of the object; – Systematic Theology III, pp 134-138]

¹⁶ Therefore, do not let anyone habitually pass judgment on you (or: make decisions for you) in [matters of] eating and drinking, nor in a part of a festival, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths (= concerning things that are of a religious nature), ¹⁷ which things are a shadow of the things being about to be (or: of the impending), yet now the body belongs to the Christ (or: So we see, the body is Christ; or: Now the body has its origin in the Christ; or: Yet the body has the character and qualities of [the] Anointed; [note: A.T. Robertson sees in this construction "the body" {figure of: "the substance"} as casting the shadow; Vincent is similar]).

² within perverse scholarship of false words (or: in association with overly critical hairsplitting of false messages; in the midst of gradually separated interpretations of false expressions; or: in union with deceptive decisions by speakers of lies), from folks having their own consciences cauterized (seared; branded) as with a hot iron, ³ coming from people habitually forbidding (preventing; hindering) [folks] to be marrying [and to be] constantly abstaining from [certain] foods – which things God creates (or: created; reduced from a state of wildness and disorder) into something to be shared and partaken of with thanksgiving by those full of faith (by the faithful and loyal folks) and by those having experienced full, intimate knowledge and realization of the Truth (or: of Reality)! ⁴ Because all God's creation (or: every creature of God) [is] beautiful (fine; ideal), and not one thing is to be thrown away – being habitually received with thanksgiving –

¹ Now the Spirit (or: Breath-effect) is explicitly saying that within subsequent seasons (in fitting situations and on appropriate occasions which will be afterwards) some of the faith (or: certain folks belonging to this trust) will proceed standing off and away [from the Path, or from the Community] (or: some people will progressively withdraw from this conviction and loyalty), habitually holding toward (having a propensity to) wandering and deceptive spirits (or: straying and seducing breath-effects and attitudes) and to teachings of demons (to teachings about and pertaining to, or which are, demons [note: a Hellenistic concept and term: = animistic influences]; or: to instructions and training which come from animistic influences [= pagan religions]), [comment: this prophesied about the future institutionalization of the called-out community, and the introduction of pagan teachings, all of which later came to be called "orthodox"]

⁵ for it is continuously (or: progressively) being set-apart (made holy; rendered sacred) through God's Word (or: by means of a word which is God; through a message and an idea from God) and an encounter (or: a meeting and falling in with someone; or: conversation; or: hitting on target within a matter to assist; thus: intercession).

⁶ Let yourselves be made humble (or: lowly), then, under God's strong hand – so that He can (or: would) at some point lift you up (or: may elevate or exalt you folks) within a fitting situation (or: in [the] proper appointed-season; in the center of a fertile moment) –

¹ Thereupon Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Breath-effect (or: was at once brought {or: guided} back again, under the Spirit, into the lonely, desolate and uninhabited region) to be examined, tested, tried, put to the proof, and put through an ordeal under and by the one who thrusts [something] through [folks] (or: the devil; the prejudiced adversary; the slanderous opponent; the backbiting false accuser; or: by that which was cast through [Him]). ² And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He subsequently experienced hunger (or: felt famished). ³ Then, upon approaching and facing [Him], the examiner (the one continuously testing and bringing ordeals) said to Him, "Since You are God's Son (or: If you continue existing being a son of and from God), speak so that these stones can become (or: should come to be) loaves of bread." ⁴ Yet He, making a discerning reply, said, "It has been written, 'Mankind (or: The human) will not be habitually living on bread, alone, but rather on every utterance (gush-effect; result of a saying; effect of a flow; declaration; spoken word) which is constantly going forth (or: proceeding out) through God's [= Yahweh's] mouth.'" [Deut. 8:3] ⁵ At that time, the adversary (the one who thrusts [something] through folks; the devil) proceeds in taking Him along into the set-apart (holy) city, and then sets (or: placed; stationed; stands) Him upon the little wing of the Temple complex (or: court; grounds), ⁶ and it proceeds saying to Him, "Since You are God's Son (or: If you exist being a son of and from God), hurl (fling; cast) Yourself down, for it has been written, 'He will constantly give inner direction (or: an imparted goal) to His agents (or: messengers) about (concerning) You,' and, 'They will repeatedly lift You up (or: = catch You) on [their] hands (or: = so as to carry You in their arms) so that You would never strike Your foot against a stone (or: = so that you can at no time stumble or hurt Yourself).'" [Ps. 91:11-12] ⁷ Jesus affirmed to it, "Again, it has been written, 'You will not continue putting [the] Lord [= Yahweh], your God, to the test (or: You will not repeatedly attempt to set Yahweh out on trial or check out some proof about Him).'" [Deut. 6:16] ⁸ Again the opponent (adversary; one thrusting-through into [Him]) is progressively taking Him along – into an extremely high mountain range (or: a very high mountain), and successively points out for Him all the world's kingdoms (or: progressively shows to Him all the reigns of the controlling ordered-system of secular society), as well as their glory (their splendor and manifestations which call forth praise; their reputations). ⁹ Then it said to Him, "I will give all these things to You, if – falling prostrate – You would pay homage to me (worship me; do obeisance to me)." ¹⁰ At this [saying], Jesus then says to it, "Bring [it] under control, adversary (or: Subject [yourself], satan; Sink down below, adversary; Carry [this] off below, hateful accuser; or: Go away, satan)! You see, it has been written, 'You will constantly pay homage to (do obeisance to; worship; fall down and kiss the feet of) [the] Lord [= Yahweh] your God, and to Him alone you will repeatedly render hired service (or: sacred service).'" [Deut. 6:13] ¹¹ At that point, the opponent (the adversary; the one who had been thrusting [Him] through) progressively flowed away from Him (or: proceeded to divorce Him; presently abandoned Him) – and, note and consider this! – agents (messengers) approached (came forward) and began giving attending service to (or: continued rendering ministering service and provision for) Him. ¹² Now [later], upon hearing that John was handed over (delivered up; = arrested and put in prison), He withdrew from the area and returned into the Galilee [province]. ¹³ So after leaving Nazareth and coming into Capernaum-by-the-sea, He settled down (took up residence) [there] – within the midst of the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ to the end that the [prophecy; oracle] spoken (declared) through Isaiah the prophet would (could; should) be fulfilled [which] continues saying, ¹⁵ "O land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali: a pathway associated with [the] Lake (or: Sea), on the other side of the Jordan [River], Galilee-of-the-multitudes (ethnic groups; nations; non-Israelites; pagans; Goyim) – ¹⁶ The people continuously sitting within the midst of darkness (the gloomy dimness of the shadow that lacked the light of the Day) saw a great Light. And on (or: to; for; in) those constantly sitting within [the] province (or: region) and shadow of death, Light arises on (or: rose to and among; dawned for or in) them." [Isa. 8:23-9:1] ¹⁷ From that time on, Jesus began to be repeatedly making loud public proclamations (performing as a herald), and to be continually saying, "You folks be progressively changing your thinking (change your frame of mind, mode of thought, perceptions and understanding and turn your focus to [Yahweh]), because the sovereign reign and activity of exercising the sovereignty of the heavens (or: kingdom from the sky and the atmosphere) has drawn near and now continues being at hand and is close enough to touch (= has arrived and is now accessible)." ¹⁸ Now while proceeding in walking along Lake Galilee (or: the Sea of Galilee), He saw two brothers, Simon – the one commonly called Peter – and Andrew, his brother, repeatedly casting a purse net into the lake (or: sea). You see, they were by habit fishers (or: fishermen) [for earning a livelihood]. ¹⁹ So He proceeds to say to them, "Come here, back behind (or: after) Me! I will also make you men fishers of humans (of people; of mankind)!" ²⁰ Now at once abandoning their nets, they followed Him. ²¹ Then going on from there He saw two other brothers, Jacob (or: James), the [son] of Zebedee, and John, his brother – within the boat with Zebedee, their father, continuing in thoroughly adjusting, mending and preparing their nets – and He called them. ²² Now at once abandoning the boat and their father, they followed Him. ²³ Later, Jesus continued leading [them] around (or: about) within [the] whole of Galilee, continuously teaching (or: progressively giving instruction) within their synagogues and repeatedly making loud public proclamations about the good news (the message of goodness, ease and wellness) which pertains to the Kingdom (or: which has its source in the Reign; which characterizes and belongs to the influence of Sovereignty; which is the Reign; or: the kingdom's glad tidings) – as well as continuing in curing (or: giving attentive care and prescribing therapy or ongoing treatment for) every chronic disease and every occasional illness (sickness; delicate condition) among the people. ²⁴ So His reputation and the report concerning Him went off into the whole [region] of Syria. And people brought to Him all those having it badly (those in poor conditions; = having an illness), [those] with various diseases, and those being continuously gripped by pain (or: confined in testing situations), as well as those being habitually affected by demons [note: a Hellenistic concept and term that denoted animistic influences], and those being repeatedly affected by the moon (either = lunatics, or, epileptics) and paralytics – and He cured or gave attentive care or prescribed therapy or instigated ongoing treatment for them! ²⁵ Consequently many and huge crowds followed Him – from the Galilee [province] and Decapolis (the Ten Cities; a league of cities east of the Jordan) and Jerusalem and Judea, as well as [from] the other side of the Jordan [River] (or: Transjordan).

¹ "Now you folks make it a habit to hold to close attentiveness [so as] not to be doing your fairness, equity or rightwised behavior – all which comprise the Way pointed out – in front of people, in order to be observed by them, otherwise you do not continue holding wages (or: having a reward) alongside of (from beside; = from the presence of) your Father – the One in the atmosphere and the firmament, and in union with and within the midst of the heavens. ² "Therefore, whenever, as is your custom you may be making gifts of mercy (be performing acts of mercy; be doing alms or giving to charity), you should not blow a trumpet in front of you (= toot your own horn ahead of your actions) – even as the overly judging and critical folks (hupokrites; or: those who put texts under close inspection to sift and separate and then give an answer, an interpretation, an opinion; or: those who live by separating things yet who under-discern; or: those who make judgments from a low view; or: those who under-estimate reality; or: perverse scholars who focus on tiny distinctions) are constantly doing in the synagogues and on the narrow urban streets and alleys, so that they can receive a reputation from people (be recognized and glorified by humans). I am saying to you truly: They are presently holding their full payment! ³ "So during your customary making gifts of mercy, do not let your left hand become aware of what your right hand continues doing, ⁴ "so that your gift of mercy can continue existing within the hidden [realm; place] (or: may be in hiding), and then your Father – the One continuously looking within the hidden [realm; place] (or: observing amidst the concealed) – will continue giving back to you! ⁵ "And further, whenever you folks may by habit be praying, you will not be as the overly judging and critical folks (hupokrites: see vs. 2, above), because they are constantly liking to be habitually praying while standing in the midst of the synagogues and on the corners of the broad streets and city squares – so that they can be visible to people (or: be manifested and caused to shine for mankind). I am saying to you truly: They are presently holding their full payment! ⁶ "Now as for you, individually, whenever you may by habit be praying, enter into your storeroom (or: barn; granary; chamber) and, upon shutting (locking; barring) your door (or: gate), pray to your Father – the One within the hidden [realm; place]. So then your Father – the One continuously seeing within the secret [realm; place] – will continue giving back to and in you (or: = giving in answer for your expectation; or: will habitually be paying you). ⁷ "Now during praying, you folks should not babble (or: make repetitious utterances; stack up meaningless phrases; or: stutter; speak without thinking; use empty words) – even as those of the ethnic multitudes (pagans; nations). You see, they habitually imagine and continuously suppose that in their much speaking (or: using many words; or: saying the same thing many times) they will be fully heard and really listened to. ⁸ "So then, you folks should not be made to resemble them, for before the occasion for you to ask Him, God, your Father, has seen and thus knows (is aware) of what things you continue having need. ⁹ "Therefore, be continuously praying in this way: 'O our Father – the One within and in union with the heavens! (or: in the midst of the atmosphere and firmament!) Make Your Name to be set-apart and kept holy (or: treated as sacred). ¹⁰ Make Your reign and kingdom come. Make Your will (the effect of Your intent and purpose) come into existence (happen; come to be; be birthed) – as within heaven (or: [the] atmosphere), so also upon earth. ¹¹ Give to us (Provide for us) today our bread (= food) necessary for existence (for being) and for the coming day. ¹² And then, send away the results of our debts for us (let the effects of our obligations flow away in us; cancel our indebtedness), as we also dismiss and send away the debts for those who owe us (let the obligations owed to us flow away; cancel the loans of our debtors). ¹³ Also, may You not bring (or: carry) us into an ordeal or a putting to the proof – neither by trial, nor by temptation, nor by examination. But to the contrary, rescue us away from the bad situation (the wicked person; the miserable condition; the painful labor; the unprofitable endeavor; the malicious man). [later MSS add: because Yours is the reign (kingdom) and the ability (power) and the manifestation which calls forth praise (the reputation; the glory), on into the ages. It is true (Make it so; Amen).]' ¹⁴ "You see, if you folks should (or: can) send away (let flow off; forgive; dismiss) for (or: from) people (or: mankind) the effects of their falling to the side [of the Way; of the Path pointed out] (or: their trespasses; their false steps and offenses; their goof-ups and blunders), your heavenly Father (or: your Father Who inhabits, and can be compared to, the atmosphere) will continue sending away, dismissing, forgiving and letting [things; some MSS add: the effects of your falling to the side] flow off for (or: in) you, as well. ¹⁵ "Yet if you folks should not send away for (or: from) people the effects of their falling to the side, neither will your Father continue sending away (dismissing; forgiving; letting flow away) the effects of your falling to the side, offending or goofing. ¹⁶ "Now whenever you may periodically fast, do not proceed to become sad-faced or stern, gloomy people – as the overly judging and critical folks [see vs. 2, above] for they habitually remove the light from (or: disguise or distort) their faces so that they can continue to be visible to people (or: be manifested for mankind and appear) [as] ones in the process of fasting. I continue saying to you truly: They are presently holding their full payment! ¹⁷ "So you folks, during fasting anoint, rub and massage your head, then wash your face (= groom yourself), ¹⁸ "so that you would not appear to people (or: may not be visible for mankind) [to be] in the midst of fasting, but rather, to (or: for) your Father – the One within the hidden [sphere; place]. And your Father – the One continuously seeing within the hidden [sphere; place] – will continue giving [something] back to (for; in) you! ¹⁹ "Stop (or: Do not continue) accumulating and storing up treasures for yourselves upon the earth (or: on the land) – where moth and corrosion (an eating action) progressively causes [things] to disappear, and where thieves constantly dig (or: tunnel; excavate) through (i.e., as to break in through a wall) and then proceed in stealing. ²⁰ "So you folks be continuously accumulating and storing up for yourselves treasures within heaven (or: [your] atmosphere) – where neither moth nor corrosion causes [things] to disappear, and where thieves do not constantly dig through nor are they repeatedly stealing. ²¹ "You see, where your treasure is, there also will be your heart (= the core of your being). ²² "The eye is the lamp of the body. If, then, your eye may continue being single-fold (or: simple and uncompounded; perhaps: single-focused and suggest being straightforward; may = healthy; may suggest generosity), your whole body will continue being (will continuously exist being) illuminated (enlightened; or: lustrous; luminous; radiant; shining). ²³ "Yet if your eye should continue being in a bad condition (or: wicked; perhaps = diseased or cloudy; may suggest stinginess or being grudging), your whole body will continue being (will continuously exist being) dark (or: in the dark; full of darkness). If, then, the light [which is] within the midst of you is darkness (or: continually exists being dimness and lack of Light), how thick [is] the darkness (or: how great and extensive [will be] the obscurity and gloom of that area of shadows)! ²⁴ "No one continues being able (has habitual power) to continue being, or performing as, a slave for two owners (lords; masters). You see, he will either proceed in hating (or: regarding with ill will) the one and will continue loving the different one, or he will continue holding firmly to and having instead the one, and will proceed despising (having a negative attitude and disposition toward) the different one. You folks are not able (still have no power) to continue being, or performing as, slaves for God and at the same time for money and riches (you can't be enslaved to both God and wealth)! ²⁵ "On this account I continue saying to you: Do not constantly take anxious care, worry or undue concern for your soul-lives (or: your being) – what you can or should eat, or what you folks should or may habitually be drinking; nor, for your body – with what you folks should clothe yourselves. Is not the soul-life (a person's inner being and life) more than nourishment, and the body [more than] clothing? ²⁶ "Make an intent observation into the birds of the sky (or: atmosphere), so as to carefully consider them. [See within their situation] that they are not constantly sowing seeds (planting), neither are they periodically reaping (harvesting) nor gathering [food] together into storehouses (or: barns), and yet your heavenly Father (or: your Father Who inhabits, and can be compared to, the atmosphere) constantly feeds and nourishes them. Are you folks not exceedingly carrying through more, so as to be of more consequence, than they (= Are you not worth much more than they are)? ²⁷ "Now who of you folks, while habitually taking anxious care, undue concern, worry or by fretting, is normally able (progresses in power) to add to his stature one cubit (eighteen inches) or to provide one more arm's reach to his life span? ²⁸ "And so why are you folks constantly worrying or fretting about clothing? Fully learn about, and from, the lilies of the field – how they are progressively growing (or: Learn thoroughly and consider well how the wild anemones continue growing and increasing). They are not constantly working hard or becoming weary from struggle, nor are they habitually spinning to make thread for cloth, ²⁹ "yet I am now saying to you that not even Solomon, in all his splendor and glory clothed or arrayed himself as one of these [flowers]! ³⁰ "So now, if God thus continually dresses and adorns (or: invests) the vegetation of the field (or: countryside) – being in existence today, and tomorrow is being normally thrown into a furnace (or: oven; stove) – [will He] not much more readily and to a greater extent [take care of] you folks who have small faith and little trust? ³¹ "Therefore, you folks should not fret, be anxious, be full of care or be worrying, constantly saying, 'What can we eat?' or, 'What can we drink?' or, 'What can we put on ourselves to wear?' ³² "You see, the ethnic multitudes (the nations; the pagans; the non-Jews) are habitually in eager pursuit of these things – spending all of their energy in seeking them! After all, your heavenly Father (or: your Father Who inhabits, and can be compared to, the atmosphere) has seen and knows that you folks repeatedly have need for all of these things. ³³ "So you people be habitually and constantly seeking God's reign (or: sovereign activity and influence; kingdom) and the fairness and equity from Him, as well as the His justice and rightwised behavior in the Way, which He has pointed out (also: = covenant participation) – and all these things will be added to you! ³⁴ "Therefore, you folks should not fret, be anxious, be full of care or be worrying [with a fixation] into the next day, for the next day will be concerned about itself (or: will have anxiety of its own). Sufficient and adequate for (or: to; in) the day [is] its own situation as it ought not to be (bad quality and worthless condition).

¹⁶ "Now whenever you may periodically fast, do not proceed to become sad-faced or stern, gloomy people – as the overly judging and critical folks [see vs. 2, above] for they habitually remove the light from (or: disguise or distort) their faces so that they can continue to be visible to people (or: be manifested for mankind and appear) [as] ones in the process of fasting. I continue saying to you truly: They are presently holding their full payment! ¹⁷ "So you folks, during fasting anoint, rub and massage your head, then wash your face (= groom yourself), ¹⁸ "so that you would not appear to people (or: may not be visible for mankind) [to be] in the midst of fasting, but rather, to (or: for) your Father – the One within the hidden [sphere; place]. And your Father – the One continuously seeing within the hidden [sphere; place] – will continue giving [something] back to (for; in) you!