Matthew 6:18

(KJV) That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
(1611 KJV) That thou appeare not vnto men to fast, but vnto thy father which is in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
(1587 Geneva Bible) That thou seeme not vnto men to fast, but vnto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret, will rewarde thee openly.
(1526 Tyndale) that it appere not vnto men howe that thou fastest: but vnto thy father which is in secrete: and thy father which seeth in secret shall rewarde the openly.

Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.
(1901 ASV) that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.
(AMP) so that your fasting will not be noticed by people, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.
(CEB) Then you won’t look like you are fasting to people, but only to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(CEV) Then others won’t know that you are going without eating. But your Father sees what is done in private, and he will reward you.

(CSB) so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

(Douay Rheims 1899 American Edition) That thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret, will repay thee.
(ERV) Then no one will know you are fasting, except your Father, who is with you even in private. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.
(ESV) that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(GNB) so that others cannot know that you are fasting—only your Father, who is unseen, will know. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.
(HCSB) so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(JB PHILLIPS) “Then, when you fast, don’t look like those miserable play-actors! For they deliberately disfigure their faces so that people may see that they are fasting. Believe me, they have had all their reward. No, when you fast, brush your hair and wash your face so that nobody knows that you are fasting—let it be a secret between you and your Father. And your Father who knows all secrets will reward you.
(LEB) so that you will not be seen by people as fasting, but to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(LB) so that no one will suspect you are hungry, except your Father who knows every secret. And he will reward you.
(THE MESSAGE) “When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
(NABRE) so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.
(NASV) so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
(NCV) Then people will not know that you are fasting, but your Father, whom you cannot see, will see you. Your Father sees what is done in secret, and he will reward you.
(NET) so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
(NIRV) Then others will not know that you are fasting. Only your Father, who can’t be seen, will know it. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly.
(NIV) so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
(NLV) Then nobody knows you are going without food. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you.
(NLT) Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
(NRSV) so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(RSV) that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(VOICE) so no one who looks at you will know about your discipline. Only your Father, who is unseen, will see your fast. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
(NWT-Jehovah Witnesses) so that you may not appear to be fasting to men but only to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you.

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
οπως μη φανης τοις ανθρωποις νηστευων αλλα τω πατρι σου τω εν τω κρυπτω και ο πατηρ σου ο βλεπων εν τω κρυπτω αποδωσει σοι εν τω φανερω

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
οπως μη φανης τοις ανθρωποις νηστευων αλλα τω πατρι σου τω εν τω κρυφαιω και ο πατηρ σου ο βλεπων εν τω κρυφαιω αποδωσει σοι

Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
L 019 - Seventh century
W 032 - Fourth/fifth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century
1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century
13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century
28 (Minuscule) - Eleventh century
33 (Minuscule) - Ninth Century
565 - (Minuscule) - Ninth century
700 - (Minuscule) Eleventh century

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this Verse
Delta 037 - Ninth century
Stephanus (1550 A.D.)
Elzivir (1624 & 1633)

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Omit “openly” after “reward thee”
Greisbach, Johann - 1805
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902
Hodges and Farstad - Majority Text 1982 as corrected in 1985

Affected Teaching
They were not to appear in public in a religious show as the Pharisees did. When they fasted about a certain situation or need, they were to appear in public like they were not fasting, in other words, clean and presentable. The same situation exists here as it did with praying. If one is fasting about something in their lives and they are sincere and not doing it for show, then if their fasting is in accord with the will of God for their life, then God will reward them openly. God is not afraid to reward openly and in front of others. When He rewards openly, He is allowing others to see that He is always faithful to His Word. There is another kind of fast which we find in the Scriptures. In Isaiah 58:5-7, we see the type of fast which God desires from His people.

(Isa 58:5-7 KJV) Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? {6} Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? {7} Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

It is the fast of neglecting your own life for the purpose of sending forth the Gospel. It is giving your life to the service of the Lord rather than fasting for some personal reason. The fast is performed like this. If you go to the streets and hand out tracts for 5 hours, then you have fasted for five hours because you gave those five hours for the purpose of sending forth the Gospel instead of doing something else. Let us expand the meaning a little bigger. Your entire Christian life is to be a life of fasting, that is, of sending forth the Gospel and ministry. Many people are under the mistaken notion that you fast until you receive what you are asking God for. That is erroneous and let me give you an example. I became saved at the age of 27, what if I started praying for a Christian wife? What if I physically fasted until God sent me one? I am 62 right now and still single, which means no food or water for 35 years. So you see the Christian fast is not one of neglect of food and water, it is a life of sacrificial service. While the majority of Christians are watching football games on Sunday afternoon, you are out witnessing. You are fasting but the others are not.

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