Matthew 23
23
Religious Hypocrites Denounced
1Then # Mk 12:38-39; Lk 20:45-46 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: # Mt 10:42; 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1 2“The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. # Perhaps a special chair for teaching in synagogues, or a metaphorical phrase for teaching with Moses’ authority # Ezr 7:6,25; Neh 8:4 3Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, # Lit do according to their works because they don’t practice what they teach. # Mt 5:20; 15:3-9; Rm 2:17-23 4They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry # Other mss omit that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger # Lit lift with their finger to move them. # Lk 11:46; Ac 15:10; Gl 6:13 5They do everything # Lit do all their works to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries # Small leather boxes containing OT texts, worn by Jews on their arms and foreheads # Ex 13:9; Dt 6:8; 11:18; Mt 6:1,5,16 and lengthen their tassels. # Other mss add on their robes # Mt 9:20; 14:36; Mk 6:56; Lk 8:44 6They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, # Lk 11:43; 14:7; 20:46 7greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.
8“But as for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have one Teacher, # Other mss add the Messiah and you are all brothers. # Mk 9:5; 10:51; Jn 1:38,49; 11:8; Jms 3:1 9Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. # Mal 1:6; Mt 6:9; 7:11 10And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, # Or Teacher the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. # Mt 20:26-27; Mk 9:35; 3Jn 9 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. # Pr 29:23; Ezk 21:26; Lk 14:11; 18:14; Jms 4:6,10; 1Pt 5:5-6
13“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in. # Mt 23:15,23,25; Lk 11:52
14“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and make long prayers just for show. # Or prayers with false motivation This is why you will receive a harsher punishment. # Other mss omit bracketed text
15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, # Ac 2:11; 6:5; 13:43 and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell # Lit twice the son of gehenna as you are!
16“Woe to you, blind guides, # Mt 15:14; 23:24; Ac 1:16; Rm 2:19 who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath # Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21; Mt 5:33; 14:7; 26:63,72 by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.’ # Lit is obligated 17Blind fools! # Lit Fools and blind For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? 18Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’ # Lit is obligated 19Blind people! # Other mss read Fools and blind For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? # Ex 29:37; 30:29 20Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. 21The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells # 1Kg 8:13; 2Ch 6:2; Ps 26:8; 132:14 in it. 22And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne # Ex 17:16; Ps 11:4; Mt 5:34; Heb 8:1 and by Him who sits on it. # Ps 47:8; Mt 19:28; Rv 4:2
23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of # Or You tithe mint, dill, and cumin, # A plant whose seeds are used as a seasoning yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, # 1Sm 15:22; Ps 33:5; Jr 5:1; Mc 6:8; Zch 7:9; Lk 11:42 mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. 24Blind guides! # Mt 15:14; 23:16 You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel!
25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed # Or full of violence and self-indulgence! # Mk 7:4; Lk 11:39 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, # Other mss add and dish so the outside of it # Other mss read of them may also become clean.
27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, # Lk 11:44; Ac 23:3 which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. 28In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ # Lit have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets 31You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ sins! # Lit the measure of your fathers # Gn 15:16; Ac 7:51; 1Th 2:15-16
33“Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell? # Lit escape from the judgment of gehenna # Mt 3:7; 5:22; 12:34 34This is why I am sending you prophets, # Ac 13:1; 1Co 12:28 sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues # 2Ch 36:15-16; Mt 10:17; Ac 22:19 and hound from town to town. 35So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, # Lit will come on you from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, # 2Ch 24:21; Zch 1:1 son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. # Gn 4:8; Heb 11:4; 1Jn 3:12; Rv 18:24 36I assure you: All these things will come on this generation! # Mt 10:23; 16:28; 24:34
Jesus’ Lamentation over Jerusalem
37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! # Lk 13:34-35 She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks # Or as a mother bird gathers her young under her wings, yet you were not willing! # Dt 32:11-12; Ru 2:12; Mt 5:12 38See, your house is left to you desolate. # 1Kg 9:7; Is 64:11; Jr 12:7; 22:5 39For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One’! ” # Ps 118:26; Mt 21:9 # Ps 118:26
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Matthew 23: HCSB
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Matthew 23
23
Jesus Accuses Some Leaders
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his followers, 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says. 3So you should obey and follow whatever they tell you, but their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they themselves don’t do them. 4They make strict rules and try to force people to obey them, but they are unwilling to help those who struggle under the weight of their rules.
5“They do good things so that other people will see them. They enlarge the little boxes holding Scriptures that they wear, and they make their special prayer clothes very long. 6Those Pharisees and teachers of the law love to have the most important seats at feasts and in the synagogues. 7They love people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces, and they love to have people call them ‘Teacher.’
8“But you must not be called ‘Teacher,’ because you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters together. 9And don’t call any person on earth ‘Father,’ because you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10And you should not be called ‘Master,’ because you have only one Master, the Christ. 11Whoever is your servant is the greatest among you. 12Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great.
13“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter. [14How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You take away widows’ houses, and you say long prayers so that people will notice you. So you will have a worse punishment.]
15“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find one person who will change to your ways. When you find that person, you make him more fit for hell than you are.
16“How terrible for you! You guide the people, but you are blind. You say, ‘If people swear by the Temple when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gold that is in the Temple, they must keep that promise.’ 17You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple that makes that gold holy? 18And you say, ‘If people swear by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gift on the altar, they must keep that promise.’ 19You are blind! Which is greater: the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? 20The person who swears by the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the altar. 21And the person who swears by the Temple is really using the Temple and also everything in the Temple. 22The person who swears by heaven is also using God’s throne and the One who sits on that throne.
23“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give to God one-tenth of everything you earn—even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—justice, mercy, and being loyal. These are the things you should do, as well as those other things. 24You guide the people, but you are blind! You are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and then swallows a camel!
25“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves. 26Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.
27“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean things. 28It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are good, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and evil.
29“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you show honor to the graves of those who lived good lives. 30You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.’ 31But you give proof that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started.
33“You are snakes! A family of poisonous snakes! How are you going to escape God’s judgment? 34So I tell you this: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will beat in your synagogues and chase from town to town. 35So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth—from the murder of that good man Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to you people who are living now.
Jesus Feels Sorry for Jerusalem
37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you did not let me.38Now your house will be left completely empty. 39I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.