< Matthew 23 >

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat.
saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down in the chair of Moses.
3 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.
Therefore, all things whatsoever that they shall say to you, observe and do. Yet truly, do not choose to act according to their works. For they say, but they do not do.
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.
For they bind up heavy and unbearable burdens, and they impose them on men’s shoulders. But they are not willing to move them with even a finger of their own.
5 But all their works they do to be seen by men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
Truly, they do all their works so that they may be seen by men. For they enlarge their phylacteries and glorify their hems.
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And they love the first places at feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
and greetings in the marketplace, and to be called Master by men.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren.
But you must not be called Master. For One is your Master, and you are all brothers.
9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father who is in heaven.
And do not choose to call anyone on earth your father. For One is your Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, [even] Christ.
Neither should you be called teachers. For One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11 But he that is greatest among you, shall be your servant.
Whoever is greater among you shall be your minister.
12 And whoever shall exalt himself, shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted.
But whoever has exalted himself, shall be humbled. And whoever has humbled himself, shall be exalted.
13 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.
So then: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you close the kingdom of heaven before men. For you yourselves do not enter, and those who are entering, you would not permit to enter.
14 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.
Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you consume the houses of widows, praying long prayers. Because of this, you shall receive the greater judgment.
15 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)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and by land, in order to make one convert. And when he has been converted, you make him twice the son of Hell that you are yourselves. (Geenna g1067)
16 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.
Woe to you, blind guides, who say: ‘Whoever will have sworn by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever will have sworn by the gold of the temple is obligated.’
17 [Ye] fools, and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
You are foolish and blind! For which is greater: the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18 And whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
And you say: ‘Whoever will have sworn by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever will have sworn by the gift that is on the altar is obligated.’
19 [Ye] fools, and blind: for which [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
How blind you are! For which is greater: the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20 Whoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things upon it.
Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all that is on it.
21 And whoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth in it.
And whoever will have sworn by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth upon it.
And whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it.
23 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.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you collect tithes on mint and dill and cumin, but you have abandoned the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, while not omitting the others.
24 [Ye] blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.
You blind guides, straining out a gnat, while swallowing a camel!
25 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.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you clean what is outside the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of avarice and impurity.
26 [Thou] 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, and then what is outside becomes clean.
27 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.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed sepulchers, which outwardly appear brilliant to men, yet truly, inside, they are filled with the bones of the dead and with all filth.
28 Thus ye also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
So also, you certainly appear to men outwardly to be just. But inwardly you are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, who build the sepulchers of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the just.
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 then you say, ‘If we had been there in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31 Wherefore ye are witnesses to yourselves, that ye are the children of them who killed the prophets.
And so you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Complete, then, the measure of your fathers.
33 [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Geenna g1067)
You serpents, you brood of vipers! How will you escape from the judgment of Hell? (Geenna g1067)
34 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:
For this reason, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men, and scribes. And some of these you will put to death and crucify; and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
35 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.
so that upon you may fall all the blood of the just, which has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
Amen I say to you, all these things shall fall upon this generation.
37 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!
Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone those who have been sent to you. How often I have wanted to gather your children together, in the way that a hen gathers her young under her wings. But you were not willing!
38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
Behold, your house shall be abandoned to you, having been deserted.
39 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.
For I say to you, you shall not see me again, until you say: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

< Matthew 23 >