Matthew — Chapter 23

1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

4For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

30And 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.

31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto 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.

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

1Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples,

2saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat:

3all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, [these] do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.

4Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men`s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

5But 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 at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi.

8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.

9And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, [even] he who is in heaven.

10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, [even] the Christ.

11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.

13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter[.]

14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows` houses, even while for a pretence ye make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive greater condemnation.

15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.

16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.

17Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold?

18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor.

19Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.

24Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!

25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess.

26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also.

27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men`s bones, and of all uncleanness.

28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous,

30and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.

32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?

34Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:

35that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar.

36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

2“The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.

3Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.

4They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.

5They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long.

6They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues

7and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’

8But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.

9And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.

11The greatest among you will be your servant.

12And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13“But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

14[This verse is not included in the NET; see KJV/ASV for the traditional rendering.]

15“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!

16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’

17Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

18And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’

19You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

20So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

21And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it.

22And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

23“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others.

24Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!

27“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean.

28In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.

30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

31By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

32Fill up then the measure of your ancestors!

33You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

34“For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,

35so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

36I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things!

37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!

38Look, your house is left to you desolate!

39For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,

2saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat.

3All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.

4For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.

5But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments,

6and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

7the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men.

8But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers.

9Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.

10Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ.

11But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.

12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

14“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.

15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.

16“Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’

17You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

18‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?’

19You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

20He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.

21He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who has been living in it.

22He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.

23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

24You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness.

26You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also.

27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

28Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,

30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

31Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets.

32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.

33You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?

34Therefore behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city;

35that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.

36Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!

38Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

39For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”