Matthew 23
23
1Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, 2“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 3so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4#Lk 11.46; Acts 15.10. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear,#23.4 Other ancient authorities omit hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5#Mt 6.1; 5.16; Ex 13.9; Deut 6.8; Mt 9.20. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6#Mk 12.38-39; Lk 20.46; 14.7-11; 11.43. and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. 8#Jas 3.1. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. 9And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. 11#Mt 20.26; Mk 9.35; 10.43; Lk 9.48; 22.26. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; 12#Lk 14.11; 18.14; Mt 18.4; 1 Pet 5.6. whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 #
Lk 11.52. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. 14#23.14 Other authorities add here (or after verse 12) verse 14, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows' houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation 15#Acts 2.10; 6.5; 13.43. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell#23.15 Greek Gehenna as yourselves.
16 #
Mt 5.33-37; 15.14. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17#Ex 30.29. You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18And you say, ‘If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21#1 Kings 8.13; Ps 26.8. and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
23 #
Lk 11.42; Lev 27.30; Mic 6.8. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 #
Lk 11.39-41; Mk 7.4. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 #
Lk 11.44; Acts 23.3; Ps 5.9. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 #
Lk 11.47-48; Acts 7.51-53. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33#Mt 3.7; Lk 3.7. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?#23.33 Greek Gehenna 34#Lk 11.49-51; 2 Chron 36.15-16. #Mt 10.17,23. Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35#Gen 4.8; Heb 11.4; Zech 1.1; 2 Chron 24.21. that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36#Mt 10.23; 16.28; 24.34. Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation.
37 #
Lk 13.34-35. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38#1 Kings 9.7; Jer 22.5. Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate.#23.38 Other ancient authorities omit and desolate 39#Mt 21.9; Ps 118.26. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
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.