Matthew 23
23
A Warning Against Hypocrisy
1Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees base what they tell you on the teachings of Moses. 3So you must be careful to do everything they say. But don’t do what they do, because they’re all talk and no action. 4They tie up heavy, bulky loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they aren’t willing to lift a finger themselves to help.
5“Everything they do is for others to see. People sometimes wear little boxes on their foreheads and arms that hold Scripture quotes. But they make their boxes big and obvious. People put tassels on the four corners of their clothes to remind them to obey God’s commands. But they make their tassels extra long. 6They love to sit in the places of honor at dinners and have the most important seats in the synagogues. 7They love to be greeted with respect in the markets and to be called ‘Rabbi.’
8“But you shouldn’t be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9And don’t give anyone on earth the title ‘father,’ because you have only one Father, who is in heaven. 10And you shouldn’t be called ‘master,’ because you have only one Master, and he’s the Messiah. 11The greatest among you has to be your servant. 12People who lift themselves up will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be lifted up.
Woe to the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13-14“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You don’t enter yourselves, but you won’t let in other people who are trying to enter.
15“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You travel by land and sea to win one person to your way of living, but then you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone makes a promise in the name of the temple, it means nothing. But if anyone makes a promise in the name of the gold in the temple, they have to keep that promise.’ 17Blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold holy? 18You also say, ‘If anyone makes a promise in the name of the altar, it means nothing. But if anyone makes a promise in the name of the gift on the altar, they have to keep that promise.’ 19You’re blind! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy? 20Any promise that’s made in the name of the altar includes everything that’s on it! 21In the same way, any promise that’s made in the name of the temple includes the one who lives in it, 22and any promise made in the name of heaven includes God’s throne and the one who sits on it.
23“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give God a tenth of your spices like mint, dill, and cumin. But you’ve neglected the more important things in the law, which are justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have done those things and not neglected the first ones either. 24You blind guides! You strain a gnat out of your food, but then you swallow a whole camel!
25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but the inside is full of greed and selfishness. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean.
27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You’re like tombs that have been painted white. They look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they’re full of dead people’s bones and other things that aren’t pure and clean. 28You’re just like that. On the outside you appear to be doing what’s right, but on the inside you’re full of hypocrisy and crime.
29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the godly. 30And you say, ‘If we’d lived back in those days, we wouldn’t have helped kill the prophets.’ 31But you’re being witnesses against yourselves. You’re admitting that you’re descended from the people who murdered the prophets. 32They killed them, and you finish the job by building their tombs!
33“You nest of poisonous snakes! How will you escape being sentenced to hell? 34I’m sending you prophets, wise people, and teachers. You’ll kill some of them by nailing them to a cross. You’ll whip others in your synagogues and chase them from town to town. 35So you’ll have to pay for all the blood of godly people that has been spilled on the earth. I mean from the blood of godly Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, who was murdered between the temple and the altar. 36Truly I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for all of it.
37“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones at those who are sent to you. Many times I’ve wanted to gather your people together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you wouldn’t let me! 38And now it’s too late: Your house is going to be deserted. 39I tell you, you won’t see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
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Matthew 23
23
CHAPTER 23
1Then Jesus spake to the people, and to his disciples,
2and said, On the chair of Moses, scribes and Pharisees have sat.
3Therefore keep ye, and do ye all things, whatever things they say to you. But do not ye do after their works; for they say, and do not.
4And they bind grievous charges, and that may not be borne, and put on [the] shoulders of men; but with their finger they will not move them.
5Therefore they do all their works to be seen of men; for they draw abroad their phylacteries, and magnify [their] hems.
6And they love the first sitting places in [or at] suppers, and the first chairs in synagogues;
7and salutations in [the] chapping, and to be called of men, master.
8But do not ye be called master; for one is your master, and all ye be brethren.
9And do not ye call to you a father on earth, for one is your Father, that is in heavens.
10Neither be ye called masters, for one is your master, Christ.
11He that is greatest among you, shall be your minister.
12For he that higheth himself, shall be meeked; and he that meeketh himself, shall be enhanced.
13But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that close the kingdom of heavens [or the realm of heaven] before men; and ye enter not, neither suffer other men entering to enter.
14Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that eat the houses of widows, and pray by long prayer; for this thing ye shall take the more doom.
15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that go about the sea and the land, to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him a son of hell, double more than ye be.
16Woe to you, blind leaders, that say, Whoever sweareth by the temple of God, it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gold of the temple, is debtor [or oweth].
17Ye fools and blind, for what is greater, the gold, or the temple that halloweth the gold?
18And whoever sweareth in the altar, it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gift that is on the altar, oweth [or is a debtor].
19Blind men, for what is more, the gift, or the altar that halloweth the gift?
20Therefore he that sweareth in the altar, sweareth in it, and in all things that be thereon.
21And he that sweareth in the temple, sweareth in it, and in him that dwelleth in the temple.
22And he that sweareth in heaven, sweareth in the throne of God, and in him that sitteth thereon.
23Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that tithe mint, anise, and cumin, and have left those things that be of more charge of the law, doom, and mercy, and faith. And it behooved [or needed] to do these things, and not to leave those.
24Blind leaders, cleansing a gnat, but swallowing a camel.
25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that cleanse the cup and the platter withoutforth; but within ye be full of raven, and uncleanness.
26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the cup and the platter withinforth, that [also] that that is withoutforth be made clean.
27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that be like to sepulchres whited [or made white], which with-outforth seem fair to men; but within they be full of bones of dead men, and of all filth.
28So ye withoutforth seem just [or rightful] to men; but within ye be full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that build [the] sepulchres of prophets, and make fair the burials of just men,
30and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been their fellows in the blood of prophets.
31And so ye be in witnessing to yourselves, that ye be the sons of them that slew the prophets.
32And full-fill ye the measure of your fathers.
33Ye adders, and adders’ brood [or fruits of adders], how shall ye flee from the doom of hell?
34Therefore lo! I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes [or writers]; and of them ye shall slay and crucify, and of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and shall pursue from city into city [or from city to city];
35that all the just blood come on you, that was shed on the earth, from the blood of just Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom ye slew betwixt the temple and the altar.
36Truly I say to you, all these things shall come on this generation.
37Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that slayest prophets, and stonest them that be sent to thee, how oft would I gather together thy children, as an hen gathereth together her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not.
38Lo! your house shall be left to you desert [or forsaken].
39And I say to you, ye shall not see me from henceforth, till ye say, Blessed is he, that cometh in the name of the Lord.
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