Matthew 23
23
Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees
1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2saying: #Deut. 33:3; Ezra 7:6, 25; Neh. 8:4, 8; (Mal. 2:7); Mark 12:38; Luke 20:45“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for #(Rom. 2:19)they say, and do not do. 4#(Matt. 11:29, 30); Luke 11:46; Acts 15:10; Rom. 2:17–24; (Gal. 5:1; 6:13; Col. 2:16, 17)For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5But all their works they do to #(Matt. 6:1–6, 16–18)be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6#Mark 12:38, 39; Luke 11:43; 20:46; 3 John 9They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8#(2 Cor. 1:24; James 3:1; 1 Pet. 5:3)But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9Do not call anyone on earth your father; #(Mal. 1:6); Matt. 5:16, 48; 6:1, 9, 14, 26, 32; 7:11for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11But #Matt. 20:26, 27he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12#Job 22:29; Prov. 15:33; 29:23; Luke 14:11; 18:14; James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
13“But #Luke 11:52woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! #Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47; (2 Tim. 3:6; Titus 1:10, 11)For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16“Woe to you, #Matt. 15:14; 23:24blind guides, who say, #(Matt. 5:33, 34)‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold #Ex. 30:29or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift #Ex. 29:37or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by #1 Kin. 8:13; 2 Chr. 6:2; Ps. 26:8; 132:14Him who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven, swears by #Ps. 11:4; Is. 66:1; Matt. 5:34; Acts 7:49the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! #Matt. 23:13; Luke 11:42; 18:12For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and #(1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:8); Matt. 9:13; 12:7have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! #Mark 7:4; Luke 11:39For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! #Luke 11:44; Acts 23:3For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29#Luke 11:47, 48“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that #Matt. 23:34, 37; (Acts 7:51, 52); 1 Thess. 2:15you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32#Gen. 15:16; (1 Thess. 2:16)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33Serpents, #Matt. 3:7; 12:34; Luke 3:7brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34#Matt. 21:34, 35; Luke 11:49Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: #John 16:2; Acts 7:54–60; 22:19some of them you will kill and crucify, and #Matt. 10:17; Acts 5:40; 2 Cor. 11:24, 25some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35#Rev. 18:24that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, #Gen. 4:8; Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12from the blood of righteous Abel to #2 Chr. 24:20, 21the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem
37#Luke 13:34, 35“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets #2 Chr. 24:20, 21; 36:15, 16; Neh. 9:26; Matt. 21:35, 36and stones those who are sent to her! How often #Deut. 32:11, 12; Matt. 11:28–30I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks #Ps. 17:8; 91:4; Is. 49:5under her wings, but you were not willing! 38See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, #Ps. 118:26; Matt. 21:9‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
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Matthew 23: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
S. Matthew 23
23
1Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not. 4Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6and love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi. 8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even the Christ. 11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter.#23.13 Some authorities insert here, or after ver. 12, ver. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, even while for a pretence ye make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive greater condemnation. See Mark 12.40. Luke 20.47 15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves. 16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. 17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold? 18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. 19Ye blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, judgement, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. 24Ye blind guides, which strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel. 25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. 26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. 27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, 30and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. 32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgement of hell?
34Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: 35that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. 36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
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historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society