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Matthew 23
EasyEnglish Bible

Jesus talks about dangerous teachers

23 After that, Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. 2 He said, ‘The teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees have authority to explain the Law of Moses. 3 So you must obey everything that they teach you. But you should not do the same things that they do. They tell you what the Law of Moses teaches. But then they themselves do not obey it. 4 The rules that they give you are difficult to obey. Their rules are like heavy luggage, which they make you carry. But they themselves will not help you to carry that luggage. They will not agree to use even one finger to help you.[a]

5 The Pharisees do things only so that people will see them. They wear little boxes with words from the Bible in them, but they make them really big. They also make the tassels on their clothes very long.[b] 6 They like to sit in the important places at special meals. They also choose to sit in the best seats in the meeting places. 7 They like people to praise them in the market place. They want people to call them “Teacher.”

8 You all belong to God's family. You have only one Teacher. So nobody should call another person, “Teacher”.[c] 9 Also, do not call any other person in the world, “Father”. You have only one Father, and he is in heaven.[d] 10 And do not call each other “Leader”. You have only one Leader. He is the Messiah that God has chosen. 11 The person among you who is most important will be your servant. 12 Some people lift themselves up to be important. But God will bring them down low. Other people are humble. God will lift up those people to a good place.’

Jesus speaks against the teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees

13 Jesus spoke to the teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees. ‘It will be very bad for you,’ he said. ‘You are hypocrites! You have stopped people who wanted to go into the kingdom of heaven. It is like you have shut the door so that they cannot go in. Then you yourselves do not even go in.

14 [It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You take things away from women after their husbands have died. You pray for a long time so that other people will praise you. God will punish you much more than other people.][e]

15 It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You travel far across land and sea. You do this to make one person believe what you believe. Then, when he does believe your ideas, he becomes worse than you are. He shows that he belongs to hell even more than you do.

16 It will be very bad for you, teachers. You cannot see what is true, but you show people which way to go.[f] You say to people, “You may make a promise by the name of the temple. Then it is not a serious promise. You do not have to do it. But you may also make a promise by the gold things in the temple. Then it is a serious promise, and you must do it.” 17 This shows that you are fools. You do not understand what is true. Think about which of these is more important. Is it the gold things in the temple? Or is it the temple itself? It is the temple that makes the gold things special. 18 You also say to people, “You may make a promise by the altar in the temple. Then it is not a serious promise. You do not have to do it. But you may also make a promise by the gifts on that altar. Then it is a serious promise and you must do it.” 19 You are people who cannot understand what is true. Think about which of these things is more important. Is it the gifts on the altar? Or is it the altar itself? It is the altar that makes the gifts special. 20 Remember this: Somebody may make a promise by the name of the altar. Then he is making a promise by God's name. The altar as well as all the gifts on it are special to God. 21 Also, somebody may make a promise by the name of the temple. Then he is making a promise in the name of God, who lives there. 22 Or somebody may make a promise by heaven. Then he is making a promise by the place where God sits and rules. So he is making a promise by the name of God himself.[g]

23 It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! When you grow spices to cook with food, you give a tenth part of these small things to God. You are right to obey this rule. But you do not obey the more important parts of God's Law. You do not help people in a good way. You are not kind to them. You do not always do what God says is right. You should have done these important things as well as the other small things. 24 You are like blind people, but you show other people which way to go. You carefully take a small fly out of your water so that you do not drink it. But then you drink the large animal that is swimming in it![h]

25 It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You always clean the outside of your cups and plates very carefully. You only clean the outside part that people can see. But on the inside, everything is still dirty. Inside you, your minds are full of bad thoughts. You want to have more things for yourself. You hurt other people to get what you want. 26 Pharisees, you do not see what is true! You must first clean the inside of the cup. Then the outside that people can see will also be clean.

27 It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You are like a grave that has nice white paint on the outside and it looks beautiful. But on the inside it is full of bones and disgusting things. 28 You are the same as that. Other people look at you. They think that you are good and you obey God. But on the inside you are hypocrites. Your minds are full of many bad thoughts.

29 It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You build up the places where people have buried God's prophets. You make the places where they have buried good people to be beautiful. 30 You say, “Our ancestors killed God's prophets long ago. If we had lived at that time, we would not have helped our ancestors to do that.” 31 So you are speaking against yourselves. You show that you are the sons of those people who killed God's prophets. 32 Now you must finish the work that your ancestors began to do!

33 You are like a family of dangerous snakes! You will not be able to run away. God will surely punish you, and he will send you to hell. 34 So listen to this. God says, “I will send prophets to you. I will also send to you people who know many things. And I will send people to teach you what is true. But you will kill some of these people. You will kill some of them on a cross. In the places where you meet to pray, you will hit some of them with whips. They will run from one town to another town, but you will follow them.” 35 Because of all this, God will punish you for all the good people that you and your ancestors have killed. Long ago, Abel was the first of those good people. You also killed Zechariah, the son of Berekiah. He died in the yard of the temple near the altar.[i] 36 Yes, I tell you this: God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders.

37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed God's prophets. They have thrown stones to kill other people that God has sent to you. Many times, I have wanted to bring all of your people near to me. A female bird covers her babies with her body to make them safe. But you would not let me keep you from danger like that. 38 So listen! Your place will now become like a wilderness where nobody lives. 39 And I tell you this. You will not see me again until the day when you say, “May the Lord God bless the man who comes with his authority!” ’[j]

Footnotes

  1. 23:4 The teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees taught extra rules to the Laws of Moses. This made it more difficult for people to obey all the Laws.
  2. 23:5 These little boxes were called phylacteries. A Jewish man would tie one to his head or to his arm. There was some paper with words from the Bible in the box. They wore the phylacteries and the tassels for other people to see. They wanted people to think that they really loved God.
  3. 23:8 Jesus is our master and our teacher.
  4. 23:9 Jesus was saying that God is their Father.
  5. 23:14 Verse 14 is not in all copies of Matthew's book.
  6. 23:16 Jesus meant that the teachers of God's Law and Pharisees did not understand about the kingdom. They were like men who could not see. They did not know God's way, but they were trying to teach it to other people.
  7. 23:22 Perhaps a person wants to make a promise very strong. So he uses someone's name to make the promise stronger. Jesus says that we should not do this. If we make a promise, people should be able to trust us to do what we have said.
  8. 23:24 The teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees obeyed the least important parts of the Law of Moses. But they did not obey the important parts. They did not understand that they were doing the wrong things.
  9. 23:35 Through the years bad men have killed many good men. The prophets wrote in the Bible about many people who died in that way. Abel was the first person like that. See Genesis 4:8. Zechariah was another good person that bad people killed. See 2 Chronicles 24:20-21.
  10. 23:39 See Psalms 118:26
Close CSBA

Matthew 23
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

Religious Hypocrites Denounced

23 Then(A) Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples:(B) 2 ‘The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses.(C) 3 Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practise what they teach.(D) 4 They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry[a] and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them.(E) 5 They do everything[b] to be seen by others: They enlarge their phylacteries(F) and lengthen their tassels.[c](G) 6 They love the place of honour at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues,(H) 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called “Rabbi” by people.

8 ‘But you are not to be called “Rabbi,” because you have one Teacher,[d] and you are all brothers and sisters.(I) 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.(J) 10 You are not to be called instructors either, because you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(K) 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.(L)

13 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.[e](M)

15 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one convert,(N) and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are!

16 ‘Woe to you, blind guides,(O) who say, “Whoever takes an oath by the temple, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath(P) by the gold of the temple is bound by his oath.”[f] 17 Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18 Also, “Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.” 19 Blind people![g] For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?(Q) 20 Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. 21 The one who takes an oath by the temple takes an oath by it and by him who dwells(R) in it. 22 And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne(S) and by him who sits on it.(T)

23 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of[h] mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice,(U) mercy, and faithfulness.[i] These things should have been done without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides!(V) You strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel!

25 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed[j] and self-indulgence.(W) 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,[k] so that the outside of it[l] may also become clean.

27 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,(X) which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity. 28 In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30 and you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.” 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors’ sins!(Y)

33 ‘Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?[m](Z) 34 This is why I am sending you prophets,(AA) wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues(AB) and pursue from town to town. 35 So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you,[n] from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah,(AC) son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.(AD) 36 Truly I tell you, all these things will come on this generation.(AE)

Jesus’s Lamenting over Jerusalem

37 ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem,(AF) who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks[o] under her wings, but you were not willing!(AG) 38 See, your house is left to you desolate.(AH) 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”! ’(AI)[p]

Footnotes

  1. 23:4 Other mss omit that are hard to carry
  2. 23:5 Lit do all their works
  3. 23:5 Other mss add on their robes
  4. 23:8 Other mss add the Christ
  5. 23:13 Some mss include v. 14: ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and make long prayers just for show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment.
  6. 23:16 Lit is bound, also in v. 18
  7. 23:19 Other mss read Fools and blind
  8. 23:23 Or You tithe
  9. 23:23 Or faith
  10. 23:25 Or full of violence
  11. 23:26 Other mss add and dish
  12. 23:26 Other mss read of them
  13. 23:33 Lit escape from the judgement of gehenna
  14. 23:35 Lit will come on you
  15. 23:37 Or as a mother bird gathers her young
  16. 23:39 Ps 118:26
Close HTB

Mattheüs 23
Het Boek

Jezus over de bijbelgeleerden en de Farizeeën

23 Jezus zei tegen de mensen en zijn leerlingen: 2 ‘De bijbelgeleerden en de Farizeeën moeten de wet van Mozes handhaven. 3 U moet precies doen wat zij zeggen. Maar hun voorbeeld mag u beslist niet volgen. Ze doen zelf niet wat zij zeggen. 4 Ze leggen de mensen enorme lasten op, maar steken zelf geen vinger uit om die te verlichten. 5 Alles wat zij doen, is om op te vallen. Ze binden hun gebedsriemen, met wetteksten erin, op hun linkerarm en hun voorhoofd. Om heilig te lijken, maken ze die extra breed. En de kwasten aan hun kleren, die aan Gods geboden herinneren, maken ze extra lang. 6 Zij vinden het heerlijk om bij de maaltijden aan het hoofd van de tafel te zitten. Zij genieten ervan als zij in de synagoge de voornaamste plaatsen krijgen 7 en voelen zich gevleid als ze op straat eerbiedig worden gegroet, als men hen met rabbi of meester aanspreekt. 8 Maar Ik waarschuw u: laat u nooit zo noemen. Want u hebt maar één Meester en u bent allemaal broers en zusters van elkaar. 9 Noem nooit een mens vader. Want u hebt maar één Vader, God in de hemel. 10 Laat u ook nooit leraar noemen, want u hebt maar één Leraar en dat ben Ik, de Christus. 11 De belangrijkste onder u moet de anderen dienen. 12 Wie zichzelf verheft, zal vernederd worden, maar wie zichzelf vernedert, zal verheven worden.

13 Maar pas op, bijbelgeleerden en Farizeeën! Huichelaars! Want u belet mensen het Koninkrijk van de hemelen in te gaan. En zelf gaat u er ook niet in! De mensen die er in willen gaan, worden door u tegengehouden. 14 U maakt de weduwen zelfs hun huis afhandig. En voor de vrome schijn zegt u lange gebeden op. De straf die u krijgt, zal daarom zwaarder zijn. 15 U bent stuk voor stuk huichelaars! Want u trekt stad en land door om één mens tot uw geloof te bekeren en dan wordt die wel twee keer zo slecht als u bent: klaar voor de hel! 16 Jullie zijn blinde leiders! U zegt dat het niets betekent als iemand bij de tempel zweert. Dan mag hij zijn eed breken. Maar zweert hij bij het goud van de tempel, dan moet hij zijn eed houden. 17 Wat een domme redenering! U bent stekeblind. Wat is belangrijker? Het goud of de tempel waardoor het goud heilig wordt? 18 Nog zoiets: u zegt dat het niets betekent als iemand bij het altaar zweert. Maar zweert iemand bij het offer op het altaar, dan mag hij zijn eed niet breken. 19 Jullie zijn werkelijk stekeblind! Wat is belangrijker? Het offer of het altaar dat het offer heilig maakt? 20 Wie zweert bij het altaar, zweert niet alleen bij het altaar, maar ook bij alles wat erop ligt. 21 En wie zweert bij de tempel, zweert niet alleen bij de tempel, maar ook bij Hem die erin woont. 22 En wie zweert bij de hemel, zweert bij de troon van God en bij God Zelf die op de troon zit.

23 Bijbelgeleerden en Farizeeën! Het ziet er voor u slecht uit! Huichelaars, u geeft tien procent van wat u heeft aan munt en andere kruiden aan de tempel, maar waar het op aankomt, goedheid, medelijden en trouw, daar houdt u zich niet mee bezig. U moet het ene doen en het andere niet nalaten. 24 Jullie zijn blinde leiders en zeven de wijn om er een mug uit te halen. Maar een kameel slikt u door.

25 Bijbelgeleerden en Farizeeën! Het ziet er voor u slecht uit! Huichelaars, u maakt de bekers en schotels van buiten schoon, maar ziet niet dat ze van binnen vol roof en hebzucht zitten.

26 Blinde Farizeeën! Maak eerst de binnenkant van de beker schoon. Dan zal ook de buitenkant schoon worden.

27 Bijbelgeleerden en Farizeeën! Het ziet er voor u slecht uit! Huichelaars, jullie lijken op witgekalkte graven, die er van buiten mooi uitzien, maar van binnen vol doodsbeenderen en bederf zitten. 28 U doet u heel vroom en oprecht voor, maar in uw hart bent u huichelachtig en slecht.

29 Bijbelgeleerden en Farizeeën, het ziet er voor u slecht uit! Huichelaars! U bouwt monumenten voor de profeten die door uw voorouders om het leven zijn gebracht. U legt bloemen op de graven van goede, onschuldige mensen en zegt: 30 “Als wij toen hadden geleefd, zouden wij de profeten nooit hebben vermoord.” 31 U erkent dus dat u zonen bent van hen die de profeten hebben vermoord. 32 Maak de maat maar vol. 33 Stelletje sluwe slangen! Hoe zult u aan het vreselijke oordeel van de hel ontkomen? 34 Ik zal profeten, wijze mannen en bijbelgeleerden naar u toesturen. U zult sommigen van hen vermoorden door hen aan een kruis te spijkeren. Anderen zult u in de synagogen afranselen en van stad tot stad vervolgen. 35 Daardoor maakt u zich schuldig aan de dood van al de onschuldige en gelovige mensen die werden vermoord, van de onschuldige Abel tot Zacharia, de zoon van Berechja, die werd vermoord tussen het tempelhuis en het altaar. 36 Ja, Ik verzeker u: het oordeel over al het kwaad van vroeger zal op het hoofd van deze generatie neerkomen.

37 Jeruzalem, Jeruzalem! Stad die de profeten vermoordt en de mannen die naar haar zijn toegestuurd, dood gooit met stenen! Hoe vaak heb Ik uw kinderen bij elkaar willen brengen, zoals een hen haar kuikens onder haar vleugels bijeenbrengt. Maar u hebt het niet gewild! 38 Let op: uw huis wordt aan zijn lot overgelaten. 39 Want u zult Mij van nu af aan niet meer zien, tot de dag dat u zult zeggen: “Gelukkig is Hij die namens de Here komt.” ’

Close NET

Matthew 23
New English Translation

Seven Woes

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The[a] experts in the law[b] and the Pharisees[c] sit on Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.[d] 4 They[e] tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 5 They[f] do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries[g] wide and their tassels[h] long. 6 They[i] love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues[j] 7 and elaborate greetings[k] in the marketplaces,[l] and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ 8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 9 And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ.[m] 11 The[n] greatest among you will be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe to you, experts in the law[o] and you Pharisees, hypocrites![p] You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven![q] For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.[r]

15 “Woe to you, experts in the law[s] and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert,[t] and when you get one,[u] you make him twice as much a child of hell[v] as yourselves!

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing.[w] But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing.[x] But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the 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 the one who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, experts in the law[y] and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth[z] of mint, dill, and cumin,[aa] yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You[ab] should have done these things without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel![ac]

25 “Woe to you, experts in the law[ad] and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,[ae] so that the outside may become clean too!

27 “Woe to you, experts in the law[af] and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs[ag] that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, experts in the law[ah] and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You[ai] build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves[aj] of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,[ak] we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?[al]

34 “For this reason I[am] am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law,[an] some of whom you will kill and crucify,[ao] and some you will flog[ap] in your synagogues[aq] and pursue from town to town, 35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah,[ar] whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 I tell you the truth,[as] this generation will be held responsible for all these things![at]

Judgment on Israel

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,[au] you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you![av] How often I have longed[aw] to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but[ax] you would have none of it![ay] 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate! 39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”[az]

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:2 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  2. Matthew 23:2 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  3. Matthew 23:2 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
  4. Matthew 23:3 tn Grk “for they say and do not do.”
  5. Matthew 23:4 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  6. Matthew 23:5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  7. Matthew 23:5 sn Phylacteries were small leather cases containing OT scripture verses, worn on the arm and forehead by Jews, especially when praying. The custom was derived from such OT passages as Exod 13:9; 16; Deut 6:8; 11:18.
  8. Matthew 23:5 tn The term κράσπεδον (kraspedon) in some contexts could refer to the outer fringe of the garment (possibly in Mark 6:56). This edge could have been plain or decorated. L&N 6.180 states, “In Mt 23:5 κράσπεδον denotes the tassels worn at the four corners of the outer garment (see 6.194).”sn Tassels refer to the tassels that a male Israelite was obligated to wear on the four corners of his outer garment according to the Mosaic law (Num 15:38; Deut 22:12).
  9. Matthew 23:6 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  10. Matthew 23:6 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
  11. Matthew 23:7 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
  12. Matthew 23:7 sn See the note on marketplaces in Matt 11:16.
  13. Matthew 23:10 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
  14. Matthew 23:11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  15. Matthew 23:13 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  16. Matthew 23:13 tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (hoti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so throughout this chapter).
  17. Matthew 23:13 tn Grk “because you are closing the kingdom of heaven before people.”
  18. Matthew 23:13 tc Many of the most significant mss (א B D L Z Θ ƒ1 33 892* and several versional witnesses) lack 23:14 “Woe to you experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ property, and as a show you pray long prayers! Therefore you will receive a more severe punishment.” Part or all of the verse is contained (either after v. 12 or after v. 13) in W Γ Δ 0102 0107 ƒ13 565 579 700 1241 1424 M and several versions. Note also that Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 are very similar in wording and are not disputed textually. It is difficult to see this verse as authentic in Matthew in light of the two locations, variants withing this addition, and the key witnesses, early and diverse, that lack the verse itself. It almost certainly is not original. The present translation follows NA28 in omitting the verse number as well, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.
  19. Matthew 23:15 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  20. Matthew 23:15 tn Or “one proselyte.”
  21. Matthew 23:15 tn Grk “when he becomes [one].”
  22. Matthew 23:15 tn Grk “a son of Gehenna.” Expressions constructed with υἱός (huios) followed by a genitive of class or kind denote a person belonging to the class or kind specified by the following genitive (L&N 9.4). Thus the phrase here means “a person who belongs to hell.”sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.
  23. Matthew 23:16 tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”
  24. Matthew 23:18 tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”
  25. Matthew 23:23 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  26. Matthew 23:23 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
  27. Matthew 23:23 sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.
  28. Matthew 23:23 tc ‡ Many witnesses (B C K L W Δ 0102 33 565 892 pm) have δέ (de, “but”) after ταῦτα (tauta, “these things”), while many others lack it (א D Γ Θ ƒ1, 13 579 700 1241 1424 pm lat mae bo; SBL). Since asyndeton was relatively rare in Koine Greek, the conjunction may be an intentional scribal alteration, and is thus omitted from the present translation. NA28 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
  29. Matthew 23:24 tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”
  30. Matthew 23:25 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  31. Matthew 23:26 tc A very difficult textual problem is found here. The most significant Alexandrian and Byzantine, as well as key Western, witnesses (א B C L W Γ Δ 0102 0281 ƒ13 33 565 579 1241 1424 M lat co; SBL) have “and the dish” (καὶ τῆς παροψίδος, kai tēs paropsidos) after “cup,” while a few major witnesses (D Θ ƒ1 700 and some versional and patristic authorities) omit the phrase. On the one hand, scribes sometimes tended to eliminate redundancy; since “and the dish” is already present in v. 25, it may have been deleted in v. 26 by well-meaning copyists. On the other hand, as Metzger notes, the singular pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou, “its”) with τὸ ἐκτός (to ektos, “the outside”) in some of the same witnesses that have the longer reading (viz., B* ƒ13 al) hints that their archetype lacked the words (TCGNT 50). Further, scribes would be motivated both to add the phrase from v. 25 and to change αὐτοῦ to the plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autōn, “their”). Although the external evidence for the shorter reading is not compelling in itself, combined with these two prongs of internal evidence, it is to be slightly preferred.
  32. Matthew 23:27 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  33. Matthew 23:27 sn This was an idiom for hypocrisy—just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (for discussion of a similar metaphor, see L&N 88.234; BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). See Ezek 13:10-16; Acts 23:3.
  34. Matthew 23:29 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  35. Matthew 23:29 tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (hoti) has not been translated.
  36. Matthew 23:29 tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).
  37. Matthew 23:30 tn Grk “fathers” (so also in v. 32).
  38. Matthew 23:33 tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.
  39. Matthew 23:34 tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
  40. Matthew 23:34 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
  41. Matthew 23:34 sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.
  42. Matthew 23:34 tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”
  43. Matthew 23:34 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
  44. Matthew 23:35 sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Barachiou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).
  45. Matthew 23:36 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
  46. Matthew 23:36 tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”
  47. Matthew 23:37 sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.
  48. Matthew 23:37 tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your…you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill…sent to you”).
  49. Matthew 23:37 sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.
  50. Matthew 23:37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
  51. Matthew 23:37 tn Grk “you were not willing.”
  52. Matthew 23:39 sn A quotation from Ps 118:26.
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