< Matthew 23 >

1 Then Jesus addressed the crowds and His disciples.
Then Jesus spake to the multitudes, and to his disciples,
2 "The Scribes," He said, "and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses.
saying, 'On the seat of Moses sat down the scribes and the Pharisees;
3 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.
all, then, as much as they may say to you to observe, observe and do, but according to their works do not, for they say, and do not;
4 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.
for they bind together burdens heavy and grievous to be borne, and lay upon the shoulders of men, but with their finger they will not move them.
5 And everything they do they do with a view to being observed by men; for they widen their phylacteries and make the tassels large,
'And all their works they do to be seen by men, and they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
6 and love the best seats at a dinner party or in the synagogues,
they love also the chief couches in the supper, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 and like to be bowed to in places of public resort, and to be addressed by men as 'Rabbi.'
and the salutations in the market-places, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 "As for you, do not accept the title of 'Rabbi,' for one alone is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.
'And ye — ye may not be called Rabbi, for one is your director — the Christ, and all ye are brethren;
9 And call no one on earth your Father, for One alone is your Father--the Heavenly Father.
and ye may not call [any] your father on the earth, for one is your Father, who is in the heavens,
10 And do not accept the name of 'leader,' for your Leader is one alone--the Christ.
nor may ye be called directors, for one is your director — the Christ.
11 He who is the greatest among you shall be your servant;
And the greater of you shall be your ministrant,
12 and one who exalts himself shall be abased, while one who abases himself shall be exalted.
and whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and whoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13 "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.
'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for ye do not go in, nor those going in do ye suffer to enter.
'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye eat up the houses of the widows, and for a pretence make long prayers, because of this ye shall receive more abundant judgment.
15 "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)
'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye go round the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and whenever it may happen — ye make him a son of gehenna twofold more than yourselves. (Geenna g1067)
16 "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.'
'Woe to you, blind guides, who are saying, Whoever may swear by the sanctuary, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the sanctuary — is debtor!
17 "Blind fools! Why, which is greater? --the gold, or the Sanctuary which has made the gold holy?
Fools and blind! for which [is] greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that is sanctifying the gold?
18 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.'
'And, whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever may swear by the gift that is upon it — is debtor!
19 "You are blind! Why, which is greater? --the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy?
Fools and blind! for which [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that is sanctifying the gift?
20 He who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it;
'He therefore who did swear by the altar, doth swear by it, and by all things on it;
21 he who swears by the Sanctuary swears both by it and by Him who dwells in it;
and he who did swear by the sanctuary, doth swear by it, and by Him who is dwelling in it;
22 and he who swears by Heaven swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
and he who did swear by the heaven, doth swear by the throne of God, and by Him who is sitting upon it.
23 "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.
'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye give tithe of the mint, and the dill, and the cumin, and did neglect the weightier things of the Law — the judgment, and the kindness, and the faith; these it behoved [you] to do, and those not to neglect.
24 You blind guides, straining out the gnat while you gulp down the camel!
'Blind guides! who are straining out the gnat, and the camel are swallowing.
25 "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.
'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye make clean the outside of the cup and the plate, and within they are full of rapine and incontinence.
26 Blind Pharisee, first wash clean the inside of the cup or dish, and then the outside will be clean also.
'Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside of them also may become clean.
27 "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.
'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whitewashed sepulchres, which outwardly indeed do appear beautiful, and within are full of bones of dead men, and of all uncleanness;
28 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.
so also ye outwardly indeed do appear to men righteous, and within ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you repair the sepulchres of the Prophets and keep in order the tombs of the righteous,
'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous,
30 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.'
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 "So that you bear witness against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the Prophets.
So that ye testify to yourselves, that ye are sons of them who did murder the prophets;
32 Fill up the measure of your forefathers' guilt.
and ye — ye fill up the measure of your fathers.
33 O serpents, O vipers' brood, how are you to escape condemnation to Gehenna? (Geenna g1067)
'Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of the gehenna? (Geenna g1067)
34 "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;
'Because of this, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and of them ye will kill and crucify, and of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will pursue from city to city;
35 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.
that on you may come all the righteous blood being poured out on the earth from the blood of Abel the righteous, unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar:
36 I tell you in solemn truth that all these things will come upon the present generation.
verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
37 "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!
'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that art killing the prophets, and stoning those sent unto thee, how often did I will to gather thy children together, as a hen doth gather her own chickens under the wings, and ye did not will.
38 See, your house will now be left to you desolate!
Lo, left desolate to you is your house;
39 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.'"
for I say to you, ye may not see me henceforth, till ye may say, Blessed [is] he who is coming in the name of the Lord.'

< Matthew 23 >