Who is the intended audience and what is the purpose of each translation?Matthew 6:1-18 comes under the Scriptural section titled "Sermon on the Mount." Here, Christ is addressing the individuals hailing from neighboring localities, who followed him. According to Luke 7:1 and Matthew 8:5, the nearest city was Capernaum.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Robert, Barnes. "Secret, Secret, Secret a Sermon on Matthew 6:1-18." 2001. Accessed November 25, 2016. http://www.thirdmill.org/files/english/html/nt/NT.h.Barnes.Matthew.6.1-18.html. ]

The 3 translations combine 3 themes: praying (6:5-6), fasting (6:16-18), and giving (6:2-4), and individuals should be careful to do the above tasks in a way that they are not noticed by people (6:1, 5, 16), and should, instead, pay attention to God's judgment as He can see whatever is done secretly by man (6:4, 6, 18). The first verse dominates the entire discussion: Man is advised to not perform righteousness deeds before others, in a way that they are seen. Because if one performs good deeds for show, God will not offer any reward for them. As the comparison with verse 5:16 elucidates, the key issue is one's intention. It is to be borne in mind that Christ, aside from separately mentioning the 3 themes, recognizes all three of them under the word "righteousness."[footnoteRef:2] [2: Knox, Chamblin. "Commentary and Lesson on Matthew 6:1-18." Accessed November 25, 2016.http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/kno_chamblin/NT.Chamblin.Matt.6.1-18.pdf. p.1]

All translations (6:2, 5, 16) depict Christ warning his devotees to not be like the hypocrites. Within individual practices mentioned in 6:1-18, those...

Giving charity unself-consciously is presumed to be an act depicting inattention to oneself (verses 2b-3). In charity, the self ought not to inform the self of what's taking place. Further, emphasis is given to praying in verse 6:5-15, as a regular practice. Christ states, "When [or whenever] you pray" (6:5, 6, 7). Established habits are presupposed, and the main lesson here, just like with charity, deals with the way one prays (largely, one's attitude and one's intention). Finally, with regard to the reward for these deeds, the hypocrites mentioned in verse 5 obtained the reward they desired (praise by others) in full. But the sincere disciple will receive the Lord's approval (verse 6b).[footnoteRef:4] [3: ibid, p.1-2] [4: ibid]
ii) What significant differences did you notice between the three translations?

Layout constitutes the most marked difference between the translations. Unlike the New International Reader's Version and New American Standard Bible, The Message has been designed like any regular book. Although there are chapter divisions, this version lacks verse numbers and each passage's key subject matter is expressed using subheadings. Furthermore, the translations vary in prose type and the way they treat textual irregularities. For instance, the NASB has used square brackets for the Pater Noster's final line (Matthew 6:13b) to indicate…