Matthew 6:3

Bible in Basic English

But when you give money, let not your left hand see what your right hand does:

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

King James Version (1611)
But when thou doest almes, let not thy left hand know, what thy right doeth:

King James Version
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

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

New American Standard Bible
"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

New Century Version
So when you give to the poor, don't let anyone know what you are doing.

Amplified Bible
"But when you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing [give in complete secrecy],

Geneva Bible (1587)
But when thou doest thine almes, let not thy left hand knowe what thy right hand doeth,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Legacy Standard Bible
But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

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

Contemporary English Version
When you give to the poor, don't let anyone know about it.

Complete Jewish Bible
But you, when you do tzedakah, don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

Darby Translation
But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does;

Easy-to-Read Version
So when you give to the poor, don't let anyone know what you are doing.

George Lamsa Translation
But when you give alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing;

Good News Translation
But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it.

Lexham English Bible
But you, when you practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Literal Translation
But you doing merciful deeds, do not let your left know what your right hand does,

American Standard Version
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Hebrew Names Version
But when you do merciful deeds, don't let your left hand know what your right hand does,

International Standard Version
But when you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Etheridge Translation
But thou, when thou art doing thy alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth,

Murdock Translation
But thou, when doing alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But when thou doest [thyne] almes, let not thy left hande knowe, what thy ryght hande doeth,

English Revised Version
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

World English Bible
But when you do merciful deeds, don't let your left hand know what your right hand does,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But when thou dost alms, let not thy left-hand know what thy right-hand doth:

Weymouth's New Testament
But when you are giving in charity, let not your left hand perceive what your right hand is doing,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But whanne thou doist almes, knowe not thi left hond what thi riyt hond doith, that thin almes be in hidils,

Update Bible Version
But when you do alms, don't let your left hand know what your right hand does:

Webster's Bible Translation
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

New English Translation
But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

New King James Version
But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

New Living Translation
But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

New Life Bible
When you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand gives.

New Revised Standard
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, thou, when doing an alms, let not, thy left hand, know what thy right hand is doing;

Douay-Rheims Bible
But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth.

Revised Standard Version
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But whe thou doest thine almes let not thy lyfte had knowe what thy righte had doth

Young's Literal Translation
`But thou, doing kindness, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But whe thou doest almes, let not thy lefte hande knowe, what thy righte hande doth;

Mace New Testament (1729)
but when you give alms, "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth:"

Simplified Cowboy Version
But when you do help someone out, don't let the glove on your left hand know what the glove on your right hand is doin'.

Contextual Overview

¹ Take care not to do your good works before men, to be seen by them; or you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² When then you give money to the poor, do not make a noise about it, as the false-hearted men do in the Synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Truly, I say to you, They have their reward. ³ But when you give money, let not your left hand see what your right hand does: ⁴ So that your giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

let: Matthew 8:4, Matthew 9:30, Matthew 12:19, Mark 1:44, John 7:4

Reciprocal: Proverbs 21:14 - in secret Matthew 25:37 - when Acts 5:2 - laid 1 Timothy 5:25 - cannot

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
And after a time, when men were increasing on the earth, and had daughters,

Genesis 6:13
And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come; the earth is full of their violent doings, and now I will put an end to them with the earth.

Genesis 6:14
Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood with rooms in it, and make it safe from the water inside and out.

Genesis 6:15
And this is the way you are to make it: it is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.

Genesis 6:16
You are to put a window in the ark, a cubit from the roof, and a door in the side of it, and you are to make it with a lower and second and third floors.

Genesis 6:18
But with you I will make an agreement; and you will come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.

Genesis 6:20
Two of every sort of bird and cattle and of every sort of living thing which goes on the earth will you take with you to keep them from destruction.

Numbers 11:17
And I will come down and have talk with you there: and I will take some of the spirit which is on you and put it on them, and they will take part of the weight of the people off you, so that you do not have to take it by yourself.

Nehemiah 9:30
Year after year you put up with them, and gave witness against them by your spirit through your prophets: still they did not give ear: and so you gave them up into the hands of the peoples of the lands.

Psalms 78:39
So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But when thou dost alms,.... Do it so privately, and with so much secrecy, that, if it was possible, thou mightest not know it thyself, much less make it known to others:

let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth; acquaint not thy nearest and dearest friend with it; let not one that sits at thy left hand know what thou art doing with thy right hand; it is a proverbial and hyperbolical phrase, expressing the secrecy of the action. It is a Jewish canon p, that

"he that gives a gift to his friend out of love, may make it known, אבל לא בצדקה, "but not if it be by way of alms".''

p Piske Tosephot in Sabbat. c. 1. art. 134.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let not thy left hand know ... - This is a proverbial expression, signifying that the action should be done as secretly as possible. The Hebrews often attribute actions to members which properly belong to persons. The encouragement for performing our acts of charity in secret is that it will be pleasing to God; that he will see the act, however secret it may be, and will openly reward it. If the reward is not granted in this life, it will be in the life to come. In multitudes of cases, however, alms given to the poor are “lent to the Lord” Proverbs 19:17, and will be repaid in this life. Rarely, perhaps never, has it been found that the man who is liberal to the poor has ever suffered by it in his worldly circumstances.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 6:3. Let not thy left hand know — In many cases, works of charity must be hidden from even our nearest relatives, who, if they knew, would hinder us from doing what God has given us power and inclination to perform. We must go even farther; and conceal them as far as is possible from ourselves, by not thinking of them, or eyeing them with complacency. They are given to GOD, and should be hidden in HIM.