[Matthew 6:34](https://www.lds.org/scriptures/search?lang=eng&query=Matthew 6:34&x=0&y=0) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
[3 Nephi 13:34](https://www.lds.org/scriptures/search?lang=eng&query=3 Nephi 13:34&x=0&y=0) Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.
The crucial difference here is what is sufficient for what. In other words, in Matthew, it seems to say “You’ve got enough to worry about without adding more.” This lines up with established understanding of this aphorism. Nephi, on the other hand, says “Don’t worry about it–you’ll have what you need.” The simple rearrangement of the words “unto” and “is” completely change the emphasis of the verse from a pragmatic pessimism (Matthew) to an uplifting encouragement (Nephi). Now, the Matthew version could easily have had an alteration in the translation over the centuries. Or, it could really be a difference spoken by Christ; in the latter case, I suspect it would be because of the difference in his audience. Both possibilities are interesting to look at.
If it was adaptation for the audience, the old-world audience was one that better suited a culture somewhat cynical and ironic. It was an audience that could include those who were going to kill their messiah (particularly Judas Iscariot). For the mortal, persecuted Jesus, there is an ominous sense of appropriateness in the tone of the Matthew passage. On the other hand, the audience of the Nephi passage was one who had just been utterly humbled as their world was torn apart by natural disasters and were in the process of rebuilding and refashioning new lives. It was an immortal, resurrected Jesus speaking to them in the wake of the obliteration of most of their society, and a message of good news is precisely what his arrival meant and what his audience needed.
Looking at it in context of the audience is insightful. There is also insight to be had by looking in the context of the sermon. This is the culmination of the “consider the lilies” speech in the Sermon on the Mount. The focus of the sermon is that faith in God should replace concern for the future, since the lilies without worrying are arrayed more gloriously than Solomon, and the birds are fed without planting or harvesting, and mankind is more precious in God’s eyes than those birds or flowers. It’s a sermon of hope, and the Nephi conclusion is a fitting capstone to the tenor of that sermon.
I find value in both interpretations of the differences in these verses–to think of the Old World words coming from the mouth of a persecuted, threatened savior who will eventually be betrayed by one in the audience is poignant. At the same time, the inspiration in the Nephi passage has been an answer to prayers for guidance in my life at times where the Matthew passage completely missed me. This demonstrates to me the value in taking Book of Mormon and Bible as composite, complementary texts.
