Matthew 22-23 (English Standard Version)

Matthew 22

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

 ¹And again Jesus^(A) spoke to them in parables, saying, ^2(B) "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave^(C) a wedding feast for his son, ³and^(D) sent his servants^[a] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ^4(E) Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my^(F) dinner,^(G) my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' ⁵But^(H) they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶while the rest seized his servants,^(I) treated them shamefully, and^(J) killed them. ⁷The king was angry, and he sent his troops and^(K) destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not^(L) worthy. ⁹Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' ¹⁰And those servants went out into the roads and^(M) gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 ¹¹"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there^(N) a man who had no wedding garment. ¹²And he said to him,^(O) 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. ¹³Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and^(P) cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' ¹⁴For many are^(Q) called, but few are chosen."

Paying Taxes to Caesar

 ^15(R) Then the Pharisees went and plotted how^(S) to entangle him in his words. ¹⁶And they sent^(T) their disciples to him, along with^(U) the Herodians, saying, "Teacher,^(V) we know that you are true and teach^(W) the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for^(X) you are not swayed by appearances.^{[b] 17}Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay^(Y) taxes to^(Z) Caesar, or not?" ¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why^(AA) put me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.^{[c] 20}And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" ²¹They said, "Caesar’s." Then he said to them, ^(AB) "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." ²²When they heard it, they marveled. And they^(AC) left him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

 ²³The same day^(AD) Sadducees came to him,^(AE) who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, ²⁴saying, "Teacher, Moses said,^(AF) 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.' ²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. ²⁶So too the second and third, down to the seventh. ²⁷After them all, the woman died. ²⁸In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her."

 ²⁹But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong,^(AG) because you know neither the Scriptures nor^(AH) the power of God. ³⁰For in the resurrection they neither^(AI) marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ³¹And as for the resurrection of the dead,^(AJ) have you not read what was said to you by God: ^32(AK) 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." ³³And when the crowd heard it,^(AL) they were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

 ^34(AM) But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced^(AN) the Sadducees, they gathered together. ^35(AO) And one of them,^(AP) a lawyer, asked him a question^(AQ) to test him. ³⁶"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" ³⁷And he said to him, ^(AR) "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And^(AS) a second is like it:^(AT) You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ^40(AU) On these two commandments depend^(AV) all the Law and the Prophets."

Whose Son Is the Christ?

 ^41(AW) Now while the Pharisees^(AX) were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴²saying, "What do you think about^(AY) the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." ⁴³He said to them, "How is it then that David,^(AZ) in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
 ^44(BA) "'The Lord said to my Lord,Sit at my right hand,
   until I put your enemies under your feet'?

 ⁴⁵If then David calls him Lord,^(BB) how is he his son?" ^46(BC) And no one was able to answer him a word,^(BD) nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Matthew 23

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

 ¹Then Jesus^(BE) said to the crowds and to his disciples, ^2(BF) "The scribes and the Pharisees^(BG) sit on Moses’ seat, ³so practice and observe whatever they tell you—^(BH) but not what they do.^(BI) For they preach, but do not practice. ^4(BJ) They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[d] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ^5(BK) They do all their deeds^(BL) to be seen by others. For they make^(BM) their phylacteries broad and^(BN) their fringes long, ⁶and they^(BO) love the place of honor at feasts and^(BP) the best seats in the synagogues ⁷and^(BQ) greetings in^(BR) the marketplaces and being called^(BS) rabbi^[e] by others. ^8(BT) But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are^(BU) all brothers.^{[f] 9(BV)} And call no man your father on earth, for^(BW) you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor,^(BX) the Christ. ^11(BY) The greatest among you shall be your servant. ^12(BZ) Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

 ¹³"But woe^(CA) to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you^(CB) shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you^(CC) neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[g] 15}Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single^(CD) proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a^(CE) child of^(CF) hell^[h] as yourselves.

 ¹⁶"Woe to^(CG) you,^(CH) blind guides, who say,^(CI) '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.' ¹⁷You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or^(CJ) the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by^(CK) the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' ¹⁹You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or^(CL) 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 by^(CM) him who dwells in it. ²²And whoever swears by^(CN) heaven swears by^(CO) the throne of God and by^(CP) him who sits upon it.

 ^23(CQ) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For^(CR) you tithe mint and dill and^(CS) cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:^(CT) justice and mercy and faithfulness.^(CU) These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing^(CV) a camel!

 ^25(CW) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For^(CX) you clean the outside of^(CY) the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of^(CZ) greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of^(DA) the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

 ^27(DB) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like^(DC) whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and^(DD) all uncleanness. ²⁸So you also^(DE) outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of^(DF) hypocrisy and lawlessness.

 ^29(DG) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰saying, '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.' ³¹Thus you witness against yourselves that you are^(DH) sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32(DI) Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³You serpents,^(DJ) you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to^(DK) hell? ^34(DL) Therefore^(DM) I send you^(DN) prophets and wise men and^(DO) scribes,^(DP) some of whom you will kill and crucify, and^(DQ) some you will^(DR) flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, ³⁵so that on you may come all^(DS) the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent^(DT) Abel to the blood of^(DU) Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[i] whom you murdered between^(DV) the sanctuary and^(DW) the altar. ³⁶Truly, I say to you,^(DX) all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

 ^37(DY) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that^(DZ) kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have^(EA) gathered^(EB) your children together^(EC) as a hen gathers her brood^(ED) under her wings, and^(EE) you would not! ³⁸See,^(EF) your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say,^(EG) 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"