< Matthew 23 >

1 Then Jesus, speaking to the crowds and to his disciples, said,
Then Jesus addressed the crowds and His disciples.
2 “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees now occupy the chair of Moses.
"The Scribes," He said, "and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses.
3 Therefore practice and lay to heart everything that they preach but do not practice.
Therefore do and observe everything that they command you; but do not imitate their lives, for though they tell others what to do, they do not do it themselves.
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.
Heavy and cumbrous burdens they bind together and load men's shoulders with them, while as for themselves, not with one finger do they choose to lift them.
5 All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and increase the size of their tassels,
And everything they do they do with a view to being observed by men; for they widen their phylacteries and make the tassels large,
6 and like to have the place of honor at dinner, and the best seats in the synagogues,
and love the best seats at a dinner party or in the synagogues,
7 and to be greeted in the markets with respect, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by everybody.
and like to be bowed to in places of public resort, and to be addressed by men as '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.
"As for you, do not accept the title of 'Rabbi,' for one alone is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And do not call anyone on the earth your ‘Father,’ for your have only one Father, the heavenly Father.
And call no one on earth your Father, for One alone is your Father--the Heavenly Father.
10 Nor must you allow yourselves to be called ‘leaders,’ for you have only one leader, the Christ.
And do not accept the name of 'leader,' for your Leader is one alone--the Christ.
11 The person who wants to be the greatest among you must be your servant.
He who is the greatest among you shall be your servant;
12 Whoever exalts themselves will be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves will be exalted.
and one who exalts himself shall be abased, while one who abases himself shall 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.
"But alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you lock the door of the Kingdom of the Heavens against men; you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those to enter who are seeking to do so.
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)
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you scour sea and land in order to win one convert--and when he is gained, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as 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’!
"Alas for you, you blind guides, who say, "'Whoever swears by the Sanctuary it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Sanctuary, is bound by the oath.'
17 Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold?
"Blind fools! Why, which is greater? --the gold, or the Sanctuary which has made the gold holy?
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 you say, "'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering lying on it is bound by the oath.'
19 Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? Or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering?
"You are blind! Why, which is greater? --the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy?
20 Therefore a person, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it,
He who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it;
21 and a person, swearing by the Temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it,
he who swears by the Sanctuary swears both 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 both 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.
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the Law--just judgement, mercy, and faithful dealing. These things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone.
24 You blind guides, to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel!
You blind guides, straining out the gnat while you gulp down 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.
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you wash clean the outside of the cup or dish, while within they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
Blind Pharisee, first wash clean the inside of the cup or dish, and then the outside will be clean also.
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.
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are just like whitewashed sepulchres, the outside of which pleases the eye, though inside they are full of dead men's bones and of all that is unclean.
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.
The same is true of you: outwardly you seem to the human eye to be good and honest men, but, within, you are full of insincerity and disregard of God's Law.
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,
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you repair the sepulchres of the Prophets and keep in order the tombs 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 your boast is, "'If we had lived in the time of our forefathers, we should not have been implicated with them in the murder 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 that you bear witness against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the Prophets.
32 Go on then, finish what your ancestors began!
Fill up the measure of your forefathers' guilt.
33 You snakes and children of snakes! How can you escape being sentenced to Gehenna? (Geenna g1067)
O serpents, O vipers' brood, how are you to escape condemnation to Gehenna? (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;
"For this reason I am sending to you Prophets and wise men and Scribes. Some of them you will put to death--nay, crucify; some of them you will flog in your synagogues and chase from town to town;
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.
that all the innocent blood shed upon earth may come on you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berechiah whom you murdered between the Sanctuary and the altar.
36 All this, I tell you, will come home to the present generation.
I tell you in solemn truth that all these things will come upon the present 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 around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not come!
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou who murderest the Prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee! how often have I desired to gather thy children to me, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not come!
38 Verily, your house is left to you desolate!
See, your house will now be 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 tell you that you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

< Matthew 23 >