BibleSteak

Matt 23:1

& Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,

Matt 23:2

& saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;

Matt 23:3

& therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say {things} and do not do {them.}

Matt 23:4

& ~"They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with {so much as} a finger.

Matt 23:5

& ~"But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their (I.e. small cases containing Scripture texts worn on the left arm and forehead for religious purposes) phylacteries and lengthen the tassels {of their garments.}

Matt 23:6

& ~"They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,

Matt 23:7

& and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.

Matt 23:8

& ~"But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

Matt 23:9

& ~"Do not call {anyone} on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

Matt 23:10

& ~"Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, {that is,} Christ.

Matt 23:11

& ~"But the greatest among you shall be your servant.

Matt 23:12

& ~"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Matt 23:13

& "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Matt 23:14

& [~"(This v not found in early mss) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

Matt 23:15

& "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Matt 23:16

& "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, `Whoever swears by the temple, {that} is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.'

Matt 23:17

& ~"You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?

Matt 23:18

& ~"And, `Whoever swears by the altar, {that} is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.'

Matt 23:19

& ~"You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

Matt 23:20

& ~"Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears {both} by the altar and by everything on it.

Matt 23:21

& ~"And whoever swears by the temple, swears {both} by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.

Matt 23:22

& ~"And whoever swears by heaven, swears {both} by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

Matt 23:23

& "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Matt 23:24

& ~"You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Matt 23:25

& "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

Matt 23:26

& ~"You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

Matt 23:27

& "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

Matt 23:28

& ~"So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matt 23:29

& "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

Matt 23:30

& and say, `If we had been {living} in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in {shedding} the blood of the prophets.'

Matt 23:31

& ~"So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Matt 23:32

& ~"Fill up, then, the measure {of the guilt} of your fathers.

Matt 23:33

& ~"You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

Matt 23:34

& "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and 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,

Matt 23:35

& so that upon you may fall {the guilt of} all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Matt 23:36

& ~"Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Matt 23:37

& "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

Matt 23:38

& ~"Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

Matt 23:39

& ~"For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, `BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!"'