Matthew 23
23
1Then spake Iesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2Saying, The Scribes and the Pharises sit in Moses seate. 3All therefore whatsoeuer they bid you obserue, that obserue and doe: but after their workes doe not: for they say, and doe not. 4For they binde heauie burdens, and grieuous to be borne, and lay them on mens shoulders, but they themselues will not moue them with one of their fingers. 5All their workes they doe for to be seene of men: for they make their phylacteries broad, and make long the frindges of their garments, 6And loue the chiefe place at feastes, and to haue the chiefe seates in the assemblies, 7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8But be not ye called, Rabbi: for one is your doctour, to wit, Christ, and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father vpon the earth: for there is but one, your father which is in heauen. 10Be not called doctours: for one is your doctour, euen Christ. 11But he that is greatest among you, let him be your seruant. 12For whosoeuer will exalt himselfe, shall be brought lowe: and whosoeuer will humble himselfe, shalbe exalted. 13Wo therefore be vnto you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites, because ye shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men: for ye your selues go not in, neither suffer ye them that would enter, to come in. 14Wo be vnto you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye deuoure widowes houses, euen vnder a colour of long prayers: wherefore ye shall receiue the greater damnation. 15Wo be vnto you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye compasse sea and land to make one of your profession: and when he is made, ye make him two folde more the childe of hell, then you your selues. 16Wo be vnto you blinde guides, which say, Whosoeuer sweareth by the Temple, it is nothing: but whosoeuer sweareth by the golde of the Temple, he offendeth. 17Ye fooles and blinde, whether is greater, the golde, or the Temple that sanctifieth the golde? 18And whosoeuer sweareth by the altar, it is nothing: but whosoeuer sweareth by the offering that is vpon it, offendeth. 19Ye fooles and blinde, whether is greater, the offering, or the altar which sanctifieth the offering? 20Whosoeuer therefore sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21And whosoeuer sweareth by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22And he that sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye tithe mynt, and annyse, and cummyn, and leaue the weightier matters of the law, as iudgement, and mercy and fidelitie. These ought ye to haue done, and not to haue left the other. 24Ye blinde guides, which straine out a gnat, and swallowe a camell. 25Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye make cleane the vtter side of the cup, and of the platter: but within they are ful of briberie and excesse. 26Thou blinde Pharise, cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be cleane also. 27Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye are like vnto whited tombes, which appeare beautifull outward, but are within full of dead mens bones, and all filthines. 28So are ye also: for outwarde ye appeare righteous vnto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie. 29Wo be vnto you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye build the tombes of the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30And say, If we had bene in the dayes of our fathers, we would not haue bene partners with them in the blood of the Prophets. 31So then ye be witnesses vnto your selues, that ye are the children of them that murthered the Prophets. 32Fulfill ye also ye measure of your fathers. 33O serpents, the generation of vipers, howe should ye escape the damnation of hell! 34Wherefore beholde, I send vnto you Prophets, and wise men, and Scribes, and of them ye shall kill and crucifie: and of them shall ye scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute from citie to citie, 35That vpon you may come all the righteous blood that was shed vpon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous, vnto the blood of Zacharias the sonne of Barachias, whome ye slewe betweene the Temple and the altar. 36Verely I say vnto you, all these things shall come vpon this generation. 37Hierusalem, Hierusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them which are sent to thee, how often would I haue gathered thy children together, as the henne gathereth her chickins vnder her wings, and ye would not! 38Beholde, your habitation shalbe left vnto you desolate, 39For I say vnto you, ye shall not see mee henceforth till that ye say, Blessed is he that commeth in the Name of the Lord.
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Matthew 23: GNV
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Matthew 23
23
Pharisaism Exposed
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses’ chair [of authority as teachers of the Law]; 3so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them. 4The scribes and Pharisees tie up #I.e. detailed instructions of rabbinic interpretations of the Law.heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter]. 5They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their #Small cases containing Scripture passages, worn on the left arm and the forehead.phylacteries (tefillin) wide [to make them more conspicuous] and make their #Tassels (tzitzit) were worn on the garments of all Jewish males, according to the Law.tassels long. 6They love the place of distinction and honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [those on the platform near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation], 7and to be greeted [with respect] in the market places and public forums, and to have people call them Rabbi. 8But do not be called Rabbi (Teacher); for One is your Teacher, and you are all [equally] brothers. 9Do not call anyone on earth [who guides you spiritually] your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10Do not let yourselves be called leaders or teachers; for One is your Leader (Teacher), the Christ. 11But the greatest among you will be your servant. 12Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor.
Eight Woes
13 “But woe (judgment is coming) to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are [in the process of] entering to do so. 14#Early mss do not contain v 14.[Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you swallow up widows’ houses, and to cover it up you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation.]
15 “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte (convert to Judaism), and when he becomes a convert, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears [an oath] by the sanctuary of the temple, that is nothing (non-binding); but whoever swears [an oath] by the gold of the temple is obligated [as a debtor to fulfill his vow and keep his promise].’ 17You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the sanctuary of the temple that sanctified the gold? 18And [you scribes and Pharisees say], ‘Whoever swears [an oath] by the altar, that is nothing (non-binding), but whoever swears [an oath] by the offering on it, he is obligated [as a debtor to fulfill his vow and keep his promise].’ 19You [spiritually] blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20Therefore, whoever swears [an oath] by the altar, swears both by it and by everything [offered] on it. 21And whoever swears [an oath] by the sanctuary of the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells within it. 22And whoever swears [an oath] by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you give a tenth (tithe) of your mint and dill and cumin [focusing on minor matters], and have neglected the weightier [more important moral and spiritual] provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the [primary] things you ought to have done without neglecting the others. 24You [spiritually] blind guides, who strain out a gnat [consuming yourselves with miniscule matters] and swallow a camel [ignoring and violating God’s precepts]!
25 “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and robbery and self-indulgence (unrestrained greed). 26You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine and change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.
27 “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28So you, also, outwardly seem to be just and upright to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets and decorate and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the [allotted] measure of the guilt of your fathers’ sins. 33You #The serpent is the creature used by Satan to introduce evil into the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1ff). Here Jesus continues the imagery of Satan as the serpent working through the religious leaders to continue the propagation of evil through deception, false teaching, and man-made laws and traditions which are given priority over God’s law.serpents, you spawn of vipers, how can you escape the penalty of hell?
34 “Therefore, take notice, I am sending you prophets and wise men [interpreters, teachers] and scribes [men educated in the Mosaic Law and the writings of the prophets]; some of them you will kill and even crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues, and pursue and persecute from city to city, 35so that on you will come the guilt of all the blood of the righteous shed on earth, from the blood of righteous #I.e. the first and last martyrs recorded in the Hebrew text.Abel to the blood of Zechariah [the priest], the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I assure you and most solemnly say to you, [the judgment for] all these things [these vile and murderous deeds] will come on this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem
37 “ # The nation of Israel personified. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who murders the prophets and stones [to death] those [messengers] who are sent to her [by God]! How often I wanted to gather your children together [around Me], as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38Listen carefully: your house is being left to you desolate [completely abandoned by God and destitute of His protection]! 39For I say to you, you will not see Me again [ministering to you publicly] until you say, ‘Blessed [to be celebrated with praise] is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
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