Luke 11:37-54

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Religious Hypocrisy Denounced

³⁷ As He was speaking, a Pharisee^(A) asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and reclined at the table. ³⁸ When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that He did not first perform the ritual washing^[a](B) before dinner.^{(C) 39} But the Lord said to him: “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed^(D) and evil.^{(E) 40} Fools!^(F) Didn’t He who made the outside make the inside too? ⁴¹ But give from what is within to the poor,^[b](G) and then everything is clean^(H) for you.

⁴² “But woe^(I) to you Pharisees! You give a tenth^[c](J) of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass^[d] justice^(K) and love for God.^[e](L) These things you should have done without neglecting the others.

⁴³ “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat^(M) in the synagogues^(N) and greetings in the marketplaces.

⁴⁴ “Woe to you!^[f] You are like unmarked graves;^(O) the people who walk over them don’t know it.”

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law^(P) answered Him, “Teacher, when You say these things You insult us too.”

⁴⁶ Then He said: “Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens^(Q) that are hard to carry, yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.^(R)

⁴⁷ “Woe to you! You build monuments^[g] to the prophets,^(S) and your fathers killed^(T) them. ⁴⁸ Therefore, you are witnesses^(U) that you approve^[h](V) the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments.^{[i] 49} Because of this, the wisdom of God^(W) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles,^(X) and some of them they will kill and persecute,’^{(Y) 50} so that this generation^(Z) may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world^[j](AA)— ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel^(AB) to the blood of Zechariah,^(AC) who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.

“Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.^[k]

⁵² “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge!^(AD) You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered^(AE) those who were going in.”

⁵³ When He left there,^[l] the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose^(AF) Him fiercely and to cross-examine Him about many things; ⁵⁴ they were lying in wait^(AG) for Him to trap Him in something He said.^[m](AH)