A Warning Against Hypocrisy^(A)(B)

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law^(C) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.^(D)

⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see:^(E) They make their phylacteries^[a](F) wide and the tassels on their garments^(G) long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;^{(H) 7} they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.^(I)

⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father,^(J) and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant.^{(K) 12} For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.^(L)

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!^(M) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.^{(N) [14] [b]}

¹⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,^(O) and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell^(P) as you are.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides!^(Q) You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’^{(R) 17} You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?^{(S) 18} You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?^{(T) 20} Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells^(U) in it. ²² And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.^(V)

²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth^(W) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.^(X) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. ²⁴ You blind guides!^(Y) You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

²⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish,^(Z) but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.^{(AA) 26} Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,^(AB) which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets^(AC) and decorate the graves of the righteous. ³⁰ And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.^{(AD) 32} Go ahead, then, and complete^(AE) what your ancestors started!^(AF)

³³ “You snakes! You brood of vipers!^(AG) How will you escape being condemned to hell?^{(AH) 34} Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;^(AI) others you will flog in your synagogues^(AJ) and pursue from town to town.^{(AK) 35} And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel^(AL) to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah,^(AM) whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.^{(AN) 36} Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.^(AO)

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,^(AP) how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,^(AQ) and you were not willing. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate.^{(AR) 39} For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’^[c]”^(AS)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times^(AT)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ² “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;^(AU) every one will be thrown down.”

³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,^(AV) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming^(AW) and of the end of the age?”^(AX)

⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.^{(AY) 5} For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.^{(AZ) 6} You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^(BA) There will be famines^(BB) and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted^(BC) and put to death,^(BD) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.^{(BE) 10} At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets^(BF) will appear and deceive many people.^{(BG) 12} Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.^{(BH) 14} And this gospel of the kingdom^(BI) will be preached in the whole world^(BJ) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “So when you see standing in the holy place^(BK) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’^[d](BL) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let no one on the housetop^(BM) go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸ Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!^{(BN) 20} Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.^(BO)

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect^(BP) those days will be shortened. ²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.^{(BQ) 24} For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders^(BR) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.

²⁶ “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as lightning^(BS) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming^(BT) of the Son of Man.^{(BU) 28} Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.^(BV)

²⁹ “Immediately after the distress of those days

³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth^[f] will mourn^(BX) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,^(BY) with power and great glory.^{[g] 31} And he will send his angels^(BZ) with a loud trumpet call,^(CA) and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³² “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³ Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it^[h] is near, right at the door.^{(CB) 34} Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.^{(CC) 35} Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.^(CD)

The Day and Hour Unknown^(CE)(CF)

³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[i] but only the Father.^{(CG) 37} As it was in the days of Noah,^(CH) so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,^(CI) up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.^{(CJ) 40} Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.^{(CK) 41} Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.^(CL)

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.^{(CM) 43} But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,^(CN) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready,^(CO) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,^(CP) whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.^{(CQ) 47} Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.^{(CR) 48} But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.^{(CS) 50} The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^(CT)

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then shall we say^(A) that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh,^(B) discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.^{(C) 3} What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[a](D)

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift^(E) but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.^{(F) 6} David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁹ Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?^(H) We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.^{(I) 10} Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.^(J) So then, he is the father^(K) of all who believe^(L) but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise^(M) that he would be heir of the world,^(N) but through the righteousness that comes by faith.^{(O) 14} For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,^{(P) 15} because the law brings wrath.^(Q) And where there is no law there is no transgression.^(R)

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace^(S) and may be guaranteed^(T) to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.^{(U) 17} As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[c](V) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life^(W) to the dead and calls^(X) into being things that were not.^(Y)

¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,^(Z) just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”^{[d](AA) 19} Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead^(AB)—since he was about a hundred years old^(AC)—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.^{(AD) 20} Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened^(AE) in his faith and gave glory to God,^{(AF) 21} being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.^{(AG) 22} This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”^{(AH) 23} The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us,^(AI) to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him^(AJ) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.^{(AK) 25} He was delivered over to death for our sins^(AL) and was raised to life for our justification.^(AM)

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified^(AN) through faith,^(AO) we^[e] have peace^(AP) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,^{(AQ) 2} through whom we have gained access^(AR) by faith into this grace in which we now stand.^(AS) And we^[f] boast in the hope^(AT) of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[g] also glory in our sufferings,^(AU) because we know that suffering produces perseverance;^{(AV) 4} perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope^(AW) does not put us to shame, because God’s love^(AX) has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,^(AY) who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time,^(AZ) when we were still powerless,^(BA) Christ died for the ungodly.^{(BB) 7} Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.^(BC)

⁹ Since we have now been justified^(BD) by his blood,^(BE) how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath^(BF) through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies,^(BG) we were reconciled^(BH) to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!^{(BI) 11} Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.^(BJ)

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,^(BK) and death through sin,^(BL) and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned^(BM)—

¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.^{(BN) 14} Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam,^(BO) who is a pattern of the one to come.^(BP)

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,^(BQ) how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,^(BR) overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death^(BS) reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life^(BT) through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,^(BU) so also one righteous act resulted in justification^(BV) and life^(BW) for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man^(BX) the many were made sinners,^(BY) so also through the obedience^(BZ) of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.^(CA) But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,^{(CB) 21} so that, just as sin reigned in death,^(CC) so also grace^(CD) might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life^(CE) through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then?^(CF) Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?^{(CG) 2} By no means! We are those who have died to sin;^(CH) how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized^(CI) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death^(CJ) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead^(CK) through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.^(CL)

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.^{(CM) 6} For we know that our old self^(CN) was crucified with him^(CO) so that the body ruled by sin^(CP) might be done away with,^[h] that we should no longer be slaves to sin^(CQ)— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.^(CR)

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.^{(CS) 9} For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,^(CT) he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.^{(CU) 10} The death he died, he died to sin^(CV) once for all;^(CW) but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin^(CX) but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign^(CY) in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,^(CZ) but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.^{(DA) 14} For sin shall no longer be your master,^(DB) because you are not under the law,^(DC) but under grace.^(DD)

Slaves to Righteousness

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?^(DE) By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey^(DF)—whether you are slaves to sin,^(DG) which leads to death,^(DH) or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God^(DI) that, though you used to be slaves to sin,^(DJ) you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching^(DK) that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin^(DL) and have become slaves to righteousness.^(DM)

¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life^(DN) because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness^(DO) leading to holiness. ²⁰ When you were slaves to sin,^(DP) you were free from the control of righteousness.^{(DQ) 21} What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!^{(DR) 22} But now that you have been set free from sin^(DS) and have become slaves of God,^(DT) the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.^{(DU) 23} For the wages of sin is death,^(DV) but the gift of God is eternal life^(DW) in^[i] Christ Jesus our Lord.