Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples:
Then Jesus spoke to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 “The religious teachers and the Pharisees are responsible as interpreters of the law of Moses,
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat.
3 so obey them and do everything they tell you. But don't follow what they do, because they don't practice what they preach.
All therefore, whatever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do: but do not ye according to their works: for they say, and do not.
4 They tie up heavy burdens, and place them on people's shoulders, but they themselves don't lift a finger to help them.
For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 Everything they do is to make sure they get noticed. They make themselves large prayer boxes to wear and long tassels on their clothes.
But all their works they do to be seen by men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 They love to have the places of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues.
And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 They love to be greeted with respect in the market places, and for people to call them, ‘Rabbi.’
And greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 Don't let people call you ‘Rabbi.’ Only one is your Master Teacher, and you are all brothers.
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 Don't call anyone by the title ‘Father’ here on earth. Only one is your Father, who is in heaven.
And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father who is in heaven.
10 Don't let people call you ‘Teacher.’ Only one is your Teacher, the Messiah.
Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, [even] Christ.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
But he that is greatest among you, shall be your servant.
12 Those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.
And whoever shall exalt himself, shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted.
13 But what a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You slam shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves don't go in, yet you don't let anyone in who is trying to enter.
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees! hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering, to go in.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel over land and sea to make a single convert, and when you do, you make him twice a son of darkness as you are yourselves. (Geenna g1067)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Geenna g1067)
16 What a disaster is coming on those of you who say, ‘If you swear by the Temple that doesn't count, but if you swear by the gold of the Temple, then you have to keep your oath.’ How foolish and blind you are!
Woe to you, [ye] blind guides, who say, Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
17 What is greater—the gold, or the Temple that makes the gold holy?
[Ye] fools, and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 You say, ‘If you swear on the altar that doesn't count, but if you swear on the sacrifice that's on the altar, then you have to keep your oath.’
And whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 How blind you are! What is greater—the sacrifice, or the altar that makes the sacrifice holy?
[Ye] fools, and blind: for which [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 If you swear by the altar, you swear by it and by everything that's on it.
Whoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things upon it.
21 If you swear by the Temple you swear by it and by the one who lives there.
And whoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth in it.
22 If you swear by heaven you swear by the throne of God and the one who sits there.
And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth upon it.
23 What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay a tithe of mint, aniseed, and cumin, but you neglect the vital aspects of the law—doing good, showing mercy, exercising trust. Yes, you should pay your tithe, but don't forget these other things.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ye ought to have done, and not to leave the others undone.
24 You blind guides—you strain what you drink to keep out a fly but then you swallow a camel!
[Ye] blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you're full of greed and self-indulgence.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside will also be clean.
[Thou] blind Pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like white-washed tombs, looking good on the outside, but on the inside full of skeletons and all kinds of rottenness.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whitened sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 You're just the same. On the outside you look like good people to others, but on the inside you're full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Thus ye also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs as memorials to the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the good,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,
30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the times of our ancestors we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 But by saying this you testify against yourselves, proving that you belong to those who murdered the prophets!
Wherefore ye are witnesses to yourselves, that ye are the children of them who killed the prophets.
32 So get on with it—finish it all off using your forefathers' methods!
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 You snakes, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of condemnation? (Geenna g1067)
[Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Geenna g1067)
34 That's why I'm sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers. Some of them you will kill, some of them you will crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, hunting them from town to town.
Wherefore behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and [some] of them ye will kill and crucify, and [some] of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute [them] from city to city:
35 As a result, you will be held accountable for the blood of all the good people that has been poured out on the land—from the blood of Abel, who did what was right, to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the Temple and the altar.
That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36 I'm telling you, the consequences of all this will fall on this generation.
Verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! So often I wanted to gather your children as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you wouldn't let me.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!
38 Now look—your house is left abandoned, totally empty.
Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
39 I tell you this: you won't see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
For I say to you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
