Matthew 23
23
The Denouncing of the Scribes and Pharisees
Mk 12:38–40; Lk 11:37–52; 20:45–47
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, 2#Ezr 7:6; 7:25“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do their works. For they speak, but do nothing. 4#Lk 11:46; Ac 15:10They fasten heavy loads that are hard to carry and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
5#Dt 6:8; Mt 9:20“They do all their works to be seen by men. They make their Scripture boxes broad and lengthen the tassels on their prayer shawls. 6They love the places of honor at feasts, and the prominent seats in the synagogues, 7#Jn 1:38; 1:49and greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ‘Rabbi’ by men.
8#Jas 3:1; Mt 23:10“But do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brothers. 9#Mal 1:6; Mt 7:11And call no man on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10Nor be called teachers, for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12#Lk 14:11; 18:14For he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
13#Lk 11:52; Mt 23:27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven against men. For you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who are entering to go in. 14#Mk 12:40; Lk 20:47Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and for pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive the greater condemnation.
15#Ac 13:43; 2:10“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16#Mt 15:14; 23:24“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ 17#Mt 23:19You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is obligated.’ 19#Ex 29:37You blind fools! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21#1Ki 8:13; Ps 26:8But he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22#Mt 5:34; Ps 11:4And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23#Lk 11:42; Mic 6:8; 1Sa 15:22“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. 24#Mt 19:24You blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25#Mt 15:19–20; Lk 11:39–40“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and greed. 26You blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may also be clean.
27#Lk 11:44; Ac 23:3“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. 28#Mt 23:5So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29#Lk 11:47–48“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 30and say, ‘If we lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have partaken with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31#Ac 7:51–52Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32#Ge 15:16Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.
33#Mt 3:7; 12:34“You serpents! You generation of vipers! How can you escape the judgment of hell? 34#Mt 10:16–17; 10:23Therefore I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city, 35#Ge 4:8; Zec 1:1that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36#Mt 24:34; 10:23Truly I say to you, all these things will come on this generation.
The Lament Over Jerusalem
Lk 13:34–35
37#Ru 2:12; Mt 5:12“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! 38#Jer 22:5Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39#Ps 118:26; Mt 21:9For I tell you, you shall not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’#Ps 118:26.”
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Matthew 23: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Matthew 23
23
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have set themselves down in Moses' seat: 3all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not, 4but bind burdens heavy and hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but will not move them with their finger. 5And all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6and love the chief place in feasts and the first seats in the synagogues, 7and salutations in the market-places, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8But ye, be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your instructor, and all ye are brethren. 9And call not any one your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, he who is in the heavens. 10Neither be called instructors, for one is your instructor, the Christ. 11But the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12And whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and whoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men; for ye do not enter, nor do ye suffer those that are entering to go in. 14#Verse 14 of A.V. is not in the best MSS. 15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye compass the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and when he is become such, ye make him twofold more the son of hell than yourselves. 16Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. 17Fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple which sanctifies the gold? 18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it is a debtor. 19Fools and blind ones, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift? 20He therefore that swears by the altar swears by it and by all things that are upon it. 21And he that swears by the temple swears by it and by him that dwells in it. 22And he that swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him that sits upon it. 23Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye pay tithes of mint and anise and cummin, and ye have left aside the weightier matters of the law, judgment and mercy and faith: these ye ought to have done and not have left those aside. 24Blind guides, who strain out the gnat, but drink down the camel. 25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of rapine and intemperance. 26Blind Pharisee, make clean first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that their outside also may become clean. 27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like whited sepulchres, which appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28Thus also ye, outwardly ye appear righteous to men, but within are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets and adorn the tombs of the just, 30and ye 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. 31So that ye bear witness of yourselves that ye are sons of those who slew the prophets: 32and ye, fill ye up the measure of your fathers. 33Serpents, offspring of vipers, how should ye escape the judgment of hell?
34Therefore, behold, I send unto 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 will persecute from city to city; 35so that all righteous blood shed upon the earth should come upon you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those that are sent unto her, how often would I have gathered thy children as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; 39for I say unto you, Ye shall in no wise see me henceforth until ye say, Blessed be he that comes in the name of the Lord.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.