E4.org

Matthew 23

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

1 Then Jesus ^asaid to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 ^b“The scribes and the Pharisees ^csit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you ^dbut not the works they do. ^eFor they preach, but do not practice. 4 ^fThey tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear ^{▼

▼
Some manuscripts omit hard to bear} and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 ^hThey do all their deeds ⁱto be seen by others. For they make ^jtheir phylacteries broad and ^ktheir fringes long, 6 and they ^llove the place of honor at feasts and ^mthe best seats in the synagogues 7 and ⁿgreetings in ^othe marketplaces and being called ^prabbi ^{▼

▼
Rabbi means my teacher, or my master; also verse 8} by others. 8 ^rBut you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^sall brothers. ^{▼

▼
Or brothers and sisters} 9 ^uAnd call no man your father on earth, for ^vyou have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor ^wthe Christ. 11 ^xThe greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 ^yWhoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe ^zto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^aashut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you ^abneither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. ^{▼

▼
Some manuscripts add here (or after verse 12) verse 14: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation} 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^adproselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^aechild of ^afhell ^{▼

▼
Greek Gehenna; also verse 33} as yourselves.

16 “Woe to ^ahyou ^aiblind guides, who say ^aj‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^akthe temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^althe gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^amthe altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^anhim who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by ^aoheaven swears by ^apthe throne of God and by ^aqhim who sits upon it.

23 ^ar“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^asyou tithe mint and dill and ^atcumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^aujustice and mercy and faithfulness. ^avThese you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^awa camel!

25 ^ax“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^ayyou clean the outside of ^azthe cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^bagreed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^bbthe cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 ^bc“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^bdwhitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and ^beall uncleanness. 28 So you also ^bfoutwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^bghypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 ^bh“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^bisons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ^bjFill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, ^bkyou brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^blhell? 34 ^bmTherefore ^bnI send you ^boprophets and wise men and ^bpscribes ^bqsome of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^brsome you will ^bsflog in your synagogues and ^btpersecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all ^buthe righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^bvAbel to the blood of ^bwZechariah the son of Barachiah, ^{▼

▼
Some manuscripts omit the son of Barachiah} whom you murdered between ^bythe sanctuary and ^bzthe altar. 36 Truly, I say to you ^caall these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 ^cb“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^cckills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^cdgathered ^ceyour children together ^cfas a hen gathers her brood ^cgunder her wings, and ^chyou were not willing! 38 See ^ciyour house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say ^cj‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”