Matthew 6:24

Money and wealth Following Jesus Faithfulness and loyalty

²² The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

²³ But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

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.

²⁵ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

²⁶ Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better 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
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Read in context
Luke 16:13
No servant 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.
Read in context
James 4:4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Read in context
1 Timothy 6:9–10
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Read in context
Joshua 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Read in context
Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Read in context
Matthew 4:10
Then 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.
Read in context
Romans 6:16–22
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Read in context