< Mathayo 23 >
1 Ningĩ Jesũ akĩĩra ikundi cia andũ o hamwe na arutwo ake atĩrĩ:
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples:
2 “Arutani a watho na Afarisai maikaragĩra gĩtĩ kĩa Musa.
“The religious teachers and the Pharisees are responsible as interpreters of the law of Moses,
3 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, maathĩkagĩrei na mwĩkage ũrĩa wothe marĩmwĩraga. No mũtigekage ũrĩa mekaga, nĩgũkorwo matiĩkaga ũrĩa mahunjagia.
so obey them and do everything they tell you. But don't follow what they do, because they don't practice what they preach.
4 Mohaga mĩrigo mĩritũ mũno makamĩigĩrĩra ciande cia andũ, no-o ene matiendaga o na kũmĩhutia na kaara.
They tie up heavy burdens, and place them on people's shoulders, but they themselves don't lift a finger to help them.
5 “Ũrĩa wothe mekaga, mekaga nĩguo monwo nĩ andũ: Maaraaramagia tũthandũkũ tũrĩa meyohaga thiithi tũrĩ na maandĩko thĩinĩ, na makaraihia ciohe cia ndigi cia nguo ciao,
Everything they do is to make sure they get noticed. They make themselves large prayer boxes to wear and long tassels on their clothes.
6 na nĩmendete gũikara handũ ha gũtĩĩo maruga-inĩ, na gũikarĩra itĩ cia mbere thĩinĩ wa thunagogi;
They love to have the places of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues.
7 na nĩmendete kũgeithio ndũnyũ-inĩ, na gwĩtwo nĩ andũ ‘Rabii’.
They love to be greeted with respect in the market places, and for people to call them, ‘Rabbi.’
8 “No inyuĩ mũtikanetwo ‘Rabii’, nĩgũkorwo Mũnene wanyu no ũmwe, na inyuothe mũrĩ a ithe ũmwe.
Don't let people call you ‘Rabbi.’ Only one is your Master Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 Na mũtikaneete mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ gũkũ thĩ ‘baba’, nĩgũkorwo mũrĩ na Ithe o ũmwe, nake arĩ igũrũ.
Don't call anyone by the title ‘Father’ here on earth. Only one is your Father, who is in heaven.
10 O na mũtikanetwo ‘mũrutani’, nĩgũkorwo mũrĩ na ‘Mũrutani’ o ũmwe, nake nĩwe Kristũ.
Don't let people call you ‘Teacher.’ Only one is your Teacher, the Messiah.
11 Ũrĩa mũnene thĩinĩ wanyu nĩatuĩkage ndungata yanyu.
The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 Nĩgũkorwo ũrĩa wothe wĩtũgagĩria nĩakanyiihio, na ũrĩa wothe wĩnyiihagia nĩagatũũgĩrio.
Those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.
13 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ arutani a watho na Afarisai, hinga ici! Mũhingagĩrĩria andũ gũtoonya ũthamaki wa igũrũ, na inyuĩ-ene mũtitoonyaga, o na mũtirekaga arĩa marenda gũtoonya matoonye. (
But what a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You slam shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves don't go in, yet you don't let anyone in who is trying to enter.
14 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ arutani a watho na Afarisai, hinga ici! Mũtoonyagĩrĩra nyũmba cia atumia a ndigwa, mũkamatunya indo ciao, na mũkahooyaga mahooya maraihu ma kwĩonania. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio nĩmũkaherithio makĩria ma andũ arĩa angĩ.)
15 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ arutani a watho na Afarisai hinga ici! Mũtuĩkanagia bũrũri na mũkaringa iria mũgĩcaria mũndũ ũmwe mũmũgarũre amũrũmĩrĩre, na aamũrũmĩrĩra mũkamũtua mũrũ wa Jehanamu maita meerĩ manyu. (Geenna )
What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel over land and sea to make a single convert, and when you do, you make him twice a son of darkness as you are yourselves. (Geenna )
16 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ atongoria atumumu! Muugaga atĩrĩ, ‘Mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ angĩĩhĩta na hekarũ, ũcio ti ũndũ; no mũndũ angĩĩhĩta na thahabu ya hekarũ-rĩ, ũcio nĩekuohwo nĩ mwĩhĩtwa wake.’
What a disaster is coming on those of you who say, ‘If you swear by the Temple that doesn't count, but if you swear by the gold of the Temple, then you have to keep your oath.’ How foolish and blind you are!
17 Inyuĩ atumumu aya akĩĩgu! Nĩ kĩĩ kĩnene? Nĩ thahabu ĩyo, kana nĩ hekarũ ĩrĩa ĩtũmaga thahabu ĩtuĩke nyamũre?
What is greater—the gold, or the Temple that makes the gold holy?
18 Ningĩ muugaga atĩrĩ, ‘Mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ angĩĩhĩta na kĩgongona-rĩ, ũcio ti ũndũ; no mũndũ angĩĩhĩta na kĩheo kĩrĩa kĩrĩ kĩgongona-igũrũ, ũcio nĩekuohwo nĩ mwĩhĩtwa wake.’
You say, ‘If you swear on the altar that doesn't count, but if you swear on the sacrifice that's on the altar, then you have to keep your oath.’
19 Inyuĩ andũ aya atumumu! Nĩ kĩĩ kĩnene? Nĩ kĩheo kĩu, kana nĩ kĩgongona kĩrĩa gĩtũmaga kĩheo kĩu gĩtuĩke kĩamũre?
How blind you are! What is greater—the sacrifice, or the altar that makes the sacrifice holy?
20 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, ũrĩa wĩhĩtaga na kĩgongona, ehĩtaga nakĩo na akehĩta na kĩrĩa gĩothe kĩrĩ kĩgongona-igũrũ.
If you swear by the altar, you swear by it and by everything that's on it.
21 Nake ũrĩa wĩhĩtaga na hekarũ, ehĩtaga nayo na akehĩta na ũrĩa ũikaraga thĩinĩ wayo.
If you swear by the Temple you swear by it and by the one who lives there.
22 Nake ũrĩa wĩhĩtaga na igũrũ, ehĩtaga na gĩtĩ kĩa ũnene kĩa Ngai, na akehĩta na ũrĩa ũgĩikaragĩra.
If you swear by heaven you swear by the throne of God and the one who sits there.
23 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ arutani a watho na Afarisai, hinga ici! Mũrutaga gĩcunjĩ gĩa ikũmi kĩa nyeni; na nĩcio terere, na bitharĩ, na thuu. No nĩmũtiganĩirie maũndũ marĩa ma bata makĩria marĩa makoniĩ watho na nĩmo kĩhooto, na kũiguanĩra tha, na wĩhokeku. Maya-rĩ, nĩmo mwagĩrĩirwo nĩ gwĩka mũtegũtiganĩria macio mangĩ.
What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay a tithe of mint, aniseed, and cumin, but you neglect the vital aspects of the law—doing good, showing mercy, exercising trust. Yes, you should pay your tithe, but don't forget these other things.
24 Inyuĩ atongoria aya atumumu! Inyuĩ mũcungaga rũmuru, no mũkameria ngamĩĩra.
You blind guides—you strain what you drink to keep out a fly but then you swallow a camel!
25 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ arutani a watho na Afarisai, hinga ici! Mũthambagia gĩkombe na mbakũri mwena wa nja, no thĩinĩ-rĩ, kũiyũrĩte ũkoroku na kwenda kwĩhũũnia.
What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you're full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Wee Mũfarisai ũyũ mũtumumu! Amba ũthambie gĩkombe na mbakũri mwena wa thĩinĩ, naguo mwena wa nja o naguo nĩũgũthera.
You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside will also be clean.
27 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ arutani a watho na Afarisai, hinga ici! Mũhaana mbĩrĩra hake mũnyũ mwerũ, iria cionekaga irĩ thaka mwena wa nja, no thĩinĩ ciyũrĩte mahĩndĩ ma andũ akuũ, na gĩko kĩa mĩthemba yothe.
What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like white-washed tombs, looking good on the outside, but on the inside full of skeletons and all kinds of rottenness.
28 No taguo andũ mamuonaga mũrĩ athingu mwena wa nja, no mwena wa thĩinĩ mũiyũirwo nĩ ũhinga na waganu.
You're just the same. On the outside you look like good people to others, but on the inside you're full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Kaĩ mũrĩ na haaro-ĩ, inyuĩ arutani a watho na Afarisai, hinga ici! Mwakagĩra anabii mbĩrĩra na mũkagemia mbĩrĩra cia arĩa athingu.
What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs as memorials to the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the good,
30 Mũgacooka mũkoiga atĩrĩ, ‘Tũngĩarĩ muoyo hĩndĩ ya maithe maitũ-rĩ, tũtingĩagwatanĩire nao gũita thakame ya anabii.’
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the times of our ancestors we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio mũkaruta ũira wa atĩ inyuĩ mũrĩ njiaro cia arĩa mooragire anabii.
But by saying this you testify against yourselves, proving that you belong to those who murdered the prophets!
32 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio-rĩ, kĩiyũrĩrĩriei kĩgeri kĩa mehia ma maithe manyu ma tene.
So get on with it—finish it all off using your forefathers' methods!
33 “Inyuĩ nyoka ici! Inyuĩ ciana cia nduĩra! Mũgaagĩtheema atĩa gũtuĩrwo ciira wa gũikio Jehanamu? (Geenna )
You snakes, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of condemnation? (Geenna )
34 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio-rĩ, ngũmũtũmĩra anabii, na andũ arĩa oogĩ, o na arutani. Amwe ao nĩmũkamooraga na mwambe amwe ao mũtĩ-igũrũ, na arĩa angĩ mũmahũũre na iboko thĩinĩ wa thunagogi cianyu na mũmaingate kuuma itũũra rĩmwe nginya rĩrĩa rĩngĩ.
That's why I'm sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers. Some of them you will kill, some of them you will crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, hunting them from town to town.
35 Na nĩmũgagĩcookererwo nĩ thakame yothe ya andũ arĩa athingu, ĩrĩa ĩrĩkĩtie gũitwo gũkũ thĩ, kuuma thakame ya Habili ũrĩa warĩ mũthingu, nginya thakame ya Zekaria mũrũ wa Barakia, ũrĩa mworagĩire gatagatĩ ka Handũ-harĩa-Hatheru na kĩgongona.
As a result, you will be held accountable for the blood of all the good people that has been poured out on the land—from the blood of Abel, who did what was right, to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the Temple and the altar.
36 Ngũmwĩra atĩrĩ na ma, maũndũ maya mothe nĩmagakinyĩra rũciaro rũrũ.
I'm telling you, the consequences of all this will fall on this generation.
37 “Wee Jerusalemu, Jerusalemu, wee ũragaga anabii, na ũkahũũra arĩa matũmĩtwo kũrĩ wee na mahiga nyuguto, nĩ maita maingĩ atĩa ndanenda gũcookanĩrĩria ciana ciaku hamwe, ta ũrĩa ngũkũ ĩcookanagĩrĩria tũcui twayo rungu rwa mathagu mayo, no ndũnjĩtĩkagĩria!
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! So often I wanted to gather your children as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you wouldn't let me.
38 Atĩrĩrĩ, nyũmba yaku ĩtigĩtwo ĩkirĩte ihooru.
Now look—your house is left abandoned, totally empty.
39 Ngũmwĩra atĩrĩ, kuuma rĩu mũtikanyona rĩngĩ nginya rĩrĩa mũkoiga atĩrĩ, ‘Kũrathimwo nĩ mũndũ ũrĩa ũgũũka na rĩĩtwa rĩa Mwathani.’”
I tell you this: you won't see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”