Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus said to the people and to his disciples:
Then Jesus addressed the crowds and His disciples.
2 The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses;
"The Scribes," He said, "and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses.
3 All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not.
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 They make hard laws and put great weights on men's backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to 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 But all their works they do so as to be seen by men: for they make wide their phylacteries, and the edges of their robes,
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 the things desired by them are the first places at feasts, and the chief seats in the Synagogues,
and love the best seats at a dinner party or in the synagogues,
7 And words of respect in the market-places, and to be named by men, Teacher.
and like to be bowed to in places of public resort, and to be addressed by men as 'Rabbi.'
8 But you may not be named Teacher: for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.
"As for you, do not accept the title of 'Rabbi,' for one alone is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And give no man the name of father on earth: because one is your Father, who is in heaven.
And call no one on earth your Father, for One alone is your Father--the Heavenly Father.
10 And you may not be named guides: because one is your Guide, even Christ.
And do not accept the name of 'leader,' for your Leader is one alone--the Christ.
11 But let the greatest among you be your servant.
He who is the greatest among you shall be your servant;
12 And whoever makes himself high will be made low, and whoever makes himself low will be made high.
and one who exalts himself shall be abased, while one who abases himself shall be exalted.
13 But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back.
"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 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as 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 A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible.
"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 You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy?
"Blind fools! Why, which is greater? --the gold, or the Sanctuary which has made the gold holy?
18 And, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the offering which is on it, he is responsible.
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 You blind ones: which is greater, the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy?
"You are blind! Why, which is greater? --the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy?
20 He, then, who takes an oath by the altar, takes it by the altar and by all things on it.
He who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it;
21 And he who takes an oath by the Temple, takes it by the Temple and by him whose house it is.
he who swears by the Sanctuary swears both by it and by Him who dwells in it;
22 And he who takes an oath by heaven, takes it by the seat of God, and by him who is seated on it.
and he who swears by Heaven swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make men give a tenth of all sorts of sweet-smelling plants, but you give no thought to the more important things of the law, righteousness, and mercy, and faith; but it is right for you to do these, and not to let the others be undone.
"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, who take out a fly from your drink, but make no trouble over a camel.
You blind guides, straining out the gnat while you gulp down the camel!
25 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of violent behaviour and uncontrolled desire.
"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 make clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may become equally clean.
Blind Pharisee, first wash clean the inside of the cup or dish, and then the outside will be clean also.
27 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things.
"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 Even so you seem to men to be full of righteousness, but inside you are all false and full of wrongdoing.
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 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you put up buildings for housing the dead bodies of the prophets, and make fair the last resting-places of good men, and say,
"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 If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood 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 So that you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who put the prophets to death.
"So that you bear witness against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the Prophets.
32 Make full, then, the measure of your fathers.
Fill up the measure of your forefathers' guilt.
33 You snakes, offspring of snakes, how will you be kept from the punishment of hell? (Geenna g1067)
O serpents, O vipers' brood, how are you to escape condemnation to Gehenna? (Geenna g1067)
34 For this reason, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them you will put to death and put on the cross, and to some of them you will give blows in your Synagogues, driving them 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 you may come all the blood of the upright on the earth, from the blood of upright Abel to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you put to death 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 Truly I say to you, All these things will come on this generation.
I tell you in solemn truth that all these things will come upon the present generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her! Again and again would I have taken your children to myself as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, and you would not!
"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 See, your house is made waste.
See, your house will now be left to you desolate!
39 For I say to you, You will not see me from this time till you say, A blessing on him 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.'"
