Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus, speaking to the crowds and to his disciples, said,
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying,
2 ‘The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees now occupy the chair of Moses.
The scholars and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat.
3 Therefore practice and lay to heart everything that they preach but do not practice.
All things therefore, however many they may tell you to observe, observe and do, but do not ye according to their works, for they say, and do not.
4 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.
For they bind heavy burdens and difficult to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they do not want to move them with their finger.
5 All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and increase the size of their tassels,
But all their works they do in order to be seen by men. And they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the hems of their garments.
6 and like to have the place of honour at dinner, and the best seats in the synagogues,
And they love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 and to be greeted in the markets with respect, and to be called “Rabbi” by everybody.
and the greetings in the marketplaces, and to be designated by men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But do not allow yourselves to be called “Rabbi,” for you have only one teacher, and you yourselves are all brothers and sisters.
But be ye not designated Rabbi, for one is your leader, the Christ, and ye are all brothers.
9 And do not call anyone on the earth your “Father,” for your have only one Father, the heavenly Father.
And do not designate a father of you upon the earth, for one is your Father, he in the heavens.
10 Nor must you allow yourselves to be called “leaders,” for you have only one leader, the Christ.
And be ye not designated leaders, for one is your leader, the Christ.
11 The person who wants to be the greatest among you must be your servant.
But the greater of you will be your helper.
12 Whoever exalts themselves will be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves will be exalted.
And he who will exalt himself will be made low, and he who will make himself low will be exalted.
13 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.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye close up the kingdom of the heavens ahead of men. For ye enter not in, nor do ye allow those who are entering to enter in.
But woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye devour widows' houses, and praying long in pretence. Because of this ye will receive greater condemnation.
15 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)
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye encompass the sea and the land to make one proselyte, and when it happens, ye make him twice more a son of hell than yourselves. (Geenna g1067)
16 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”!
Woe to you, ye blind guides, who say, Whoever may swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.
17 Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold?
Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18 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”!
And, Whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gift upon it, he is obligated.
19 Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? Or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering?
Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 Therefore a person, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it,
He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it.
21 and a person, swearing by the Temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it,
And he who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it.
22 while a person, swearing by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it.
23 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.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law-justice and mercy and faith. These things must be done, and not neglecting those things.
24 You blind guides, to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel!
Ye blind guides, who strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel.
25 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.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside they are full of plunder and unrighteousness.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, so that the outside of them may also become clean.
27 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.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 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.
In this way also, ye indeed outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 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,
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the righteous,
30 and say “Had we been living in the days of our ancestors, we should have taken no part in their murder 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 By doing this you are furnishing evidence against yourselves that you are true children of the people who murdered the prophets.
So then ye testify to yourselves that ye are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Go on then, finish what your ancestors began!
Then fill ye up the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how will ye escape from the damnation of hell? (Geenna g1067)
34 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;
Because of this, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scholars. And some of them ye will kill and crucify, and some of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will persecute from city to city,
35 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.
so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36 All this, I tell you, will come home to the present generation.
Truly I say to you, that all these things will come upon this generation.
37 Jerusalem! Jerusalem! She who slays the prophets and stones the messengers sent to her – Oh, how often have I wished to gather your children round me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not come!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who have been sent to her. How often I wanted to gathered thy children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and ye would not.
38 Verily, your house is left to you desolate!
Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
39 For nevermore, I tell you, will you see me, until you say – “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”’
For I say to you, ye will, no, not see me henceforth, until ye say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
