Matthew 6:24

Money and wealth Following Jesus Faithfulness and loyalty

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

²³ But 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!

No 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.

²⁵ Therefore 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?

²⁶ Look 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?

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: No 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.
KJV: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
WEB: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
ASV: No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
DARBY: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
BLB: No one is able to serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and he will love the other, or he will hold to one and he will despise the other. You⁺ are not able to serve God and mammon.

ÅB: «Ingen kan tjene to herrer; for han vil enten hate den ene og elske den andre, eller holde seg til den ene og forakte den andre; dere kan ikke tjene Gud og mammon.
OTB: "Ingen kan tjene to herrer. Enten vil du hate den ene og elske den andre, eller du vil være hengiven til den ene og forakte den andre. Du kan ikke tjene både Gud og rikdom.
B1930: Ingen kan tjene to herrer; for han vil enten hate den ene og elske den andre, eller holde sig til den ene og forakte den andre; I kan ikke tjene Gud og mammon.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

1 John 2:15–16
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Read in context
Luke 16:13
No servant 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.”
Read in context
James 4:4
You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
Read in context
1 Timothy 6:9–10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
Read in context
Joshua 24:15
But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
Read in context
Galatians 1:10
Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Read in context
Matthew 4:10
“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Read in context
Romans 6:16–22
Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?
Read in context