Matthew 23
1 Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Then Jesus, speaking to the crowds and to his disciples, said,
2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
“The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees now occupy the chair of Moses.
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not all of you after their works: for they say, and do not.
Therefore practice and lay to heart everything that they preach but do not practice.
4 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.
While they make up heavy loads and pile them on other people’s shoulder’s they decline, themselves, to lift a finger to move them.
5 But all their works they do in order to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and increase the size of their tassels,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
and like to have the place of honor at dinner, and the best seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
and to be greeted in the markets with respect, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by everybody.
8 But be not all of you called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all you are brethren.
But do not allow yourselves to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and you yourselves are all brothers and sisters.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
And do not call anyone on the earth your ‘Father,’ for your have only one Father, the heavenly Father.
10 Neither be all of you called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
Nor must you allow yourselves to be called ‘leaders,’ for you have only one leader, the Christ.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
The person who wants to be the greatest among you must be your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be brought low; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Whoever exalts themselves will be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves will be exalted.
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for all of you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer all of you them that are entering to go in.
But alas for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You turn the key of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you do not go in yourselves, and do not allow those who try to go in to do so.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore all of you shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, all of you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Geenna g1067)
Alas for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You scour land and sea to make a single convert, and, when they are gained, you make them twice as deserving of Gehenna as you are yourselves. (Geenna g1067)
16 Woe unto you, all of you blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Alas for you, you blind guides! You say ‘if any swear by the Temple, their oath counts for nothing; but, if anyone swears by the gold of the Temple, their oath is binding them’!
17 All of you fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that santifies the gold?
Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
You say, too, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, their oath counts for nothing, but, if anyone swears by the offering placed on it, their oath is binding on them’!
19 All of you fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that santifies the gift?
Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? Or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it, and by all things thereon.
Therefore a person, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it,
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, swears by it, and by him that dwells therein.
and a person, swearing by the Temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it,
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him that sits thereon.
while a person, swearing by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought all of you to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Alas for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You pay tithes on mint, fennel, and caraway seed, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law – justice, mercy, and good faith. These last you ought to have put into practice, without neglecting the first.
24 All of you blind guides, which strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.
You blind guides, to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel!
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Alas for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are filled with the results of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you are like unto whitewashed sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Alas for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed look fair outside, while inside they are filled with dead people’s bones and all kinds of filth.
28 Even so all of you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within all of you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
It is the same with you. Outwardly, and to others, you have the look of religious people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and sin.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because all of you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,
Alas for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the monuments of religious people,
30 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.
and say ‘Had we been living in the days of our ancestors, we should have taken no part in their murder of the prophets!’
31 Wherefore all of you be witnesses unto yourselves, that all of you are the children of them which killed the prophets.
By doing this you are furnishing evidence against yourselves that you are true children of the people who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill all of you up then the measure of your fathers.
Go on then, finish what your ancestors began!
33 All of you serpents, all of you generation of vipers, how can all of you escape the damnation of hell? (Geenna g1067)
You snakes and children of snakes! How can you escape being sentenced to Gehenna? (Geenna g1067)
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them all of you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall all of you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
That is why I send you prophets, wise people, and teachers of the Law, some of whom you will crucify and kill, and some of whom you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from town to town;
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom all of you slew between the temple and the altar.
so that on your heads may fall every drop of innocent blood split on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah’s son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
All this, I tell you, will come home to the present generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent unto you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and all of you would not!
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! She who slays the prophets and stones the messengers sent to her – Oh, how often have I wished to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not come!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Verily, your house is left to you desolate!
39 For I say unto you, All of you shall not see me henceforth, till all of you shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.
For nevermore, I tell you, will you see me, until you say – ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
