Matthew 23
23
1Then Yeshua [God is Salvation] spoke to the people and to his disciples
2saying: “Upon the seat of Moshe [drawn out] the Torah-teachers (Scribes) and P’rushim (Pharisees) [separatists] sit”.
3“Now all which he says to you keep and do; but according to their ordinances and deeds do not do, because they say and do not”.
4“They demand and set forth great burdens which the shoulders of men are not able to bear; but they themselves, even with their finger, are unwilling to move”.
5“All their actions they do for the sake of appearances; they wear expensive garments and large tassels”,
6“They love to recline first in the banquet halls, to be seated first at the synagogues”,
7“to prostrate themselves in the streets, and to be called Rabbi”.
8“But as for you, do not desire to be called Teacher because One is your Teacher, and all of you are brothers”.
9“Call no man upon the earth ‘father’ because One is your Father Who is in heaven”.
10“Do not be called Rabbi, because one is your Rabbi, Ha-Moshiach [Messiah] [The Messiah]”.
11“The greatest among you will serve you”.
12“He who exalts himself will be humbled; he who humbles himself will be exalted”.
13“Woe to you P’rushim (Pharisees) [separatists] and Torah-teachers (Scribes), hypocrites because you close up the Kingdom of heaven before men; you yourselves do not enter and those who wish to enter you do not permit to enter”.
14“Woe to you P’rushim (Pharisees) [separatists] and Torah-teachers (Scribes), hypocrites, because you devour and divide the wealth of certain widows with lengthy exposition; for this you will suffer (allow, to let, permit) a long punishment”.
15“You encompass sea and land to bind the heart of one man to your faith and when he is bound he is doubly worse than before”.
16“Woe to you council of the blind, who say that he who swears by the temple is not obligated, but he who vows by anything which is consecrated to the structure of the temple is not obligated to pay”,
17“-mad and blind men, which is greater, the temple or that which is consecrated to the temple?-”
18“and whoever swears by the altar is not obligated but he who swears that he will make an offering is obligated to give it”.
19“Woe blind men, which is more, the gift or the altar, the temple or the gift?”
20“He who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything which is in it”.
21“He who swears by the temple swears by the temple and He Who dwells within it”.
22“He who swears by the throne of Elohim (The Many Powered) [The Living Word of God] swears by it and by The One Who sits upon it”.
23“Woe to them, Torah-teachers (Scribes) and P’rushim (Pharisee [separatist]s) [separatists], who tithe mint, dill and pomegranate, but who commit robbery and leave undone that which is weightier, that is, the judgments of the Torah which are: kindness, tand faithfulness. These are commands worthy of doing; one should not forget them”.
24“Offspring of blind leaders, who are strict in the matter of the gnat and swallow the camel”.
25“Woe to you P’rushim (Pharisees) [separatists] and Torah-teachers (Scribes), because you cleanse cups and platters on the outside but inside them is full of wickedness and uncleanness”.
26“Hypocrites, cleanse first that which is inside in order that that which is outside might be pure”.
27“Woe to you Torah-teachers (Scribes) and P’rushim (Pharisee [separatist]s) [separatists], hypocrites, who are like whitened sepulchers which appear on the outside to be beautiful to men, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and the filthy”.
28“Thus you appear on the outside to be righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness”.
29“Woe to you hypocrites, P’rushim (Pharisees) [separatists] and Torah-teachers (Scribes), because you build the tombs of the prophets and glorify the monuments of the righteous”.
30“You say: ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers we would not have permitted putting the prophets to death’.
31“In this you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who killed the prophets”.
32“You behave according to the deeds of your fathers”.
33“Serpents, seed of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gei-Hinnom [hell, valley of evil counsel] if you do not turn in repentance”.
34At that time Yeshua [God is Salvation] said to the crowds of the Jews: “Therefore, behold I am sending you prophets, wise men and Torah-teachers (Scribes). Some of them you will kill, some of them you will afflict in your synagogues and you will pursue them from city to city”.
35“In order to place upon you the blood of every righteous one which has been poured out upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Z’kharyah Ben-Berekhyah [Yah remembers, son of Yah blesses] whom you killed between the temple and the altar”.
36“Truly I say to you that all these things will come upon this generation”,
37“and upon Yerushalayim [abode of peace] who kills the prophets and removes those who are sent. How many times I wished to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and you would not”.
38“Therefore you will leave your houses desolate”.
39“Truly, I say to you, you will not see me from now on, until you will say: ‘Blessed (Favored by God; happy; prosperous) is he who comes in the Name of Yehovah [Messiah Pre-Incarnate]’”.
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Matthew 23: NMV
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Matthew 23
23
Jesus condemns the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses
(Mark 12.38-40; Luke 11.37-52; 20.45-47)
1Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. 3So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.
4They pile heavy burdens on people's shoulders and won't lift a finger to help. 5Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels#23.5 wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms…tassels: As a sign of their love for the Lord and his teachings, the Jewish people had started wearing Scripture verses in small leather boxes. But the Pharisees tried to show off by making the boxes bigger than necessary. The Jewish people were also taught to wear tassels on the four corners of their robes to show their love for God. for everyone to see.#Mt 6.1; Dt 6.8; Nu 15.38. 6They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the meeting places. 7And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers.
8But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. 9Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. 10None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. 11Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others.#Mt 20.26,27; Mk 9.35; 10.43,44; Lk 22.26. 12If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honoured.#Lk 14.11; 18.14.
13-14You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won't go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in.#23.13,14 from going in: Some manuscripts add, “You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! And you're nothing but show-offs! You cheat widows out of their homes and then pray long prayers just to show off. So you will be punished most of all.”
15You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.
16You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple. 17You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18You also teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar. 19Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it. 21And anyone who swears by the temple also swears by God, who lives there. 22To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God's throne and by the one who sits on that throne.#Is 66.1; Mt 5.34.
Jesus continued:
23You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either.#Lv 27.30. 24You blind leaders! You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel.
25You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of a cup, and then the outside will also be clean.
27You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed.#23.27 whitewashed: Tombs were whitewashed to keep anyone from accidentally touching them. A person who touched a dead body or a tomb was considered unclean and could not worship with the rest of the Jewish people. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth.#Ac 23.3. 28That's what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good.
29You Pharisees and teachers are nothing but show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You build monuments for the prophets and decorate the tombs of good people. 30And you claim that you would not have taken part with your ancestors in killing the prophets. 31But you prove that you really are the relatives of the ones who killed the prophets. 32So keep on doing everything they did. 33You are nothing but snakes and the children of snakes! How can you escape going to hell?#Mt 3.7; 12.34; Lk 3.7.
34I will send prophets and wise people and experts in the Law of Moses to you. But you will kill them or nail them to a cross or beat them in your meeting places or chase them from town to town. 35That's why you will be held guilty for the murder of every good person, beginning with the good man Abel. This also includes Barachiah's son Zechariah,#23.35 Zechariah: Genesis is the first book in the Jewish Scriptures, and it tells that Abel was the first person to be murdered. The Second Book of Chronicles is the last book in the Jewish Scriptures, and the last murder that it tells about is that of Zechariah. the man you murdered between the temple and the altar.#Gn 4.8; 2 Ch 24.20,21. 36I can promise that you people living today will be punished for all these things!
Jesus loves Jerusalem
(Luke 13.34,35)
Jesus continued:
37Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't let me. 38And now your temple will be deserted.#Jr 22.5. 39You won't see me again until you say,#Ps 118.26.
“Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.”
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012