譴責宗教的偽善

23 那時,耶穌對眾人和自己的門徒們說: 「經文士和法利賽人坐在摩西的位子上, 所以,他們所吩咐你們的,你們都要去做,也要遵守;但是不要效法他們的行為,因為他們說而不做。 他們把沉重難挑的[a]擔子捆起來,放在人們肩上,但自己卻連一根指頭也不肯動它們一下。 他們所做的一切事,都是為了給人看:他們把自己的經文盒加寬,把衣服的[b]穗子加長; 他們喜愛宴席中的上座和會堂裡的首位, 喜愛街市上的致敬問候,又喜愛被人們稱為『老師[c]』。

「但你們不可被稱為『老師[d]』,因為你們的老師只有一位,[e]而你們都是弟兄。 不要稱地上的任何人為『父』,因為你們的父只有一位,就是天父。 10 你們也不要被人稱為『主人』,因為你們的主人只有一位,就是基督。 11 你們當中誰更大,誰就該做你們的僕人, 12 因為凡是自我高舉的都會被降卑,而自我降卑的都會被高舉。

13 「經文士和法利賽人哪,你們這些偽善的人有禍了!因為你們在人的面前封閉了天國。你們自己不進去,也不讓正要進的人進去。

14 「經文士和法利賽人哪,你們這些偽善的人有禍了!因為你們侵吞寡婦的家產,又假意做很長的禱告。因此,你們將受到更重的懲罰。[f]

15 「經文士和法利賽人哪,你們這些偽善的人有禍了!因為你們為了使一個人入教,走遍海洋和陸地,一旦那人成了教徒[g],你們就使他成為比你們加倍壞的地獄之子。

16 「你們這些瞎眼的領路人有禍了!你們說:『如果有人指著聖所起誓,算不得什麼;但如果有人指著聖所裡的金子起誓,就必須遵守。』 17 你們這些又愚拙又瞎眼的人哪,到底哪一樣更重要呢?是金子,還是使金子成聖的聖所呢? 18 你們還說:『如果有人指著祭壇起誓,算不得什麼;但如果有人指著祭壇上的祭物起誓,就必須遵守。』 19 你們這些[h]瞎眼的人哪,到底哪一樣更重要呢?是祭物,還是使祭物成聖的祭壇呢? 20 所以,指著祭壇起誓的,就是指著祭壇和祭壇上的一切起誓; 21 指著聖所起誓的,就是指著聖所和住在裡面的那一位起誓; 22 指著天起誓的,就是指著神的寶座和坐在寶座上的那一位起誓。

23 「經文士和法利賽人哪,你們這些偽善的人有禍了!因為你們奉獻薄荷、蒔蘿、香芹的十分之一,卻放棄了律法上更重要的:就是公義、憐憫、信實。這些才是你們應該做的,至於前者也不可放棄。 24 你們這些瞎眼的領路人哪,你們濾掉蠓蟲,卻吞下駱駝!

25 「經文士和法利賽人哪,你們這些偽善的人有禍了!因為你們洗淨杯子、盤子的外面,裡面卻盛滿了貪心和放縱。 26 你這瞎眼的法利賽人哪!當先洗淨杯子[i]的裡面,好使外面也潔淨。

27 「經文士和法利賽人哪,你們這些偽善的人有禍了!因為你們好像粉飾的墳墓,外面固然顯得美麗,裡面卻裝滿了死人骨頭和一切汙穢。 28 你們也是這樣,你們外面對人顯出公義,裡面卻充滿了偽善和罪惡[j]

29 「經文士和法利賽人哪,你們這些偽善的人有禍了!因為你們建造先知的墳墓,裝飾義人的墓碑, 30 說:『如果我們活在我們祖先的時代,我們就不會與他們合夥流先知們的血。』 31 這樣,你們就見證了自己是殺害先知們的那些人的後代。 32 你們去充滿你們祖先的惡貫吧!

33 「你們這些蛇類,這些毒蛇的子孫!你們怎麼能逃避地獄的懲罰呢? 34 看,我為此差派先知、智者、經師到你們這裡來;有些你們要殺害、要釘上十字架,有些要在會堂裡鞭打,從一個城追逼到另一個城。 35 所以,從義人亞伯的血起,直到你們在聖所和祭壇之間所殺的巴拉加的兒子撒迦利亞的血為止,在地上所流的義人的血都要歸在你們身上。 36 我確實地告訴你們:這一切都要臨到這世代。

為耶路撒冷哀嘆

37 耶路撒冷啊,耶路撒冷!這城殺害先知們,又用石頭砸死被差到她這裡的人!我多次想聚集你的兒女,像母雞把自己的小雞聚集在翅膀下,可是你們不願意! 38 看哪,你們的家[k]要被廢棄成為荒場。 39 我告訴你們:今後你們絕不會再見到我了,直到你們說:『奉主名而來的那一位,是蒙祝福的。』[l]

Footnotes

  1. 馬太福音 23:4 有古抄本沒有「難挑的」。
  2. 馬太福音 23:5 有古抄本沒有「衣服的」。
  3. 馬太福音 23:7 老師——或譯作「拉比」。
  4. 馬太福音 23:8 老師——或譯作「拉比」。
  5. 馬太福音 23:8 有古抄本附「就是基督,」。
  6. 馬太福音 23:14 有古抄本沒有此節。
  7. 馬太福音 23:15 教徒——輔助詞語。
  8. 馬太福音 23:19 有古抄本附「愚拙又」。
  9. 馬太福音 23:26 有古抄本附「盤子」。
  10. 馬太福音 23:28 罪惡——原文直譯「不法」。
  11. 馬太福音 23:38 家——或譯作「殿」;指「聖殿」。參《耶利米書》12:7;22:5。
  12. 馬太福音 23:39 《詩篇》118:26。

23 Then Jesus spake to the people, and to his disciples, [Then Jesus spake to the companies, and to his disciples,]

and said, On the chair of Moses, scribes and Pharisees have sat. [saying, Scribes and Pharisees sat on the chair of Moses.]

Therefore keep ye, and do ye all things, whatever things they say to you [whatever they shall say to you]. But do not ye do after their works; for they say, and do not.

And they bind grievous charges, and that be not able to be borne [Soothly they bind grievous charges, and unportable, or that may not be borne], and put on [the] shoulders of men; but with their finger they will not move them.

Therefore [Forsooth] they do all their works to be seen of men; for they draw abroad their phylacteries, and magnify [their] hems.

And they love the first sitting places in suppers [Soothly they love the first sitting places at suppers], and the first chairs in synagogues;

and salutations in [the] market, and to be called of men, master [and to be called of men, masters].

But do not ye be called master; for one is your master, and all ye be brethren.

And do not ye call to you a father on earth [And do not ye call to you a father upon earth], for one is your Father, that is in heavens.

10 Neither be ye called masters, for one is your master, Christ.

11 He that is greatest among you, shall be your minister.

12 For he that higheth himself, shall be meeked; and he that meeketh himself, shall be enhanced. [Forsooth he that shall high himself, shall be meeked; and he that shall meek himself, shall be enhanced.]

13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that close the kingdom of heavens before men; and ye enter not, neither suffer other men entering to enter[a].

14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that eat the houses of widows, and pray by long prayer; for this thing ye shall take the more doom.

15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that go about the sea and the land, to make one proselyte [that compass the sea and the land, to make one proselyte, that is, converted to your order]; and when he is made, ye make him a son of hell, double more than ye be [double more than you].

16 Woe to you, blind leaders, that say, Whoever sweareth by the temple of God, it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gold of the temple, is debtor.[b]

17 Ye fools and blind, for what is greater, the gold, or the temple that halloweth the gold?

18 And whoever sweareth in the altar [And whoever shall swear in the altar], it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gift that is on the altar, oweth [is debtor].

19 Blind men, for what is more, the gift, or the altar that halloweth the gift?

20 Therefore he that sweareth in the altar, sweareth in it, and in all things that be thereon.

21 And he that sweareth in the temple, sweareth in it, and in him that dwelleth in the temple.

22 And he that sweareth in heaven, sweareth in the throne of God, and in him that sitteth thereon.

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that tithe mint, anise, and cummin, and have left those things that be of more charge of the law, doom, and mercy, and faith. And it behooved to do these things [And these things it behooved, or needed, to do], and not to leave those.

24 Blind leaders, cleansing a gnat, but swallowing a camel.

25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that cleanse the cup and the platter withoutforth [that make clean that thing of the cup and of the platter, that is withoutforth]; but within ye be full of raven and uncleanness.

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the cup and the platter withinforth, that that that is withoutforth be made clean.[c]

27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that be like to sepulchres whited [that be like to sepulchres made white], which withoutforth seem fair to men; but within they be full of bones of dead men, and of all filth.

28 So [and] ye withoutforth seem just to men [So and ye forsooth withoutforth appear rightful to men]; but within ye be full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that build [the] sepulchres of prophets, and make fair the burials of just men,

30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been their fellows in the blood of prophets.

31 And so ye be in witnessing to yourselves [And so ye be into witnessing to yourselves], that ye be the sons of them that slew the prophets.

32 And full-fill ye the measure of your fathers. [And fill ye the measure of your fathers.]

33 Ye adders, and adders' brood [Ye serpents, fruits of adders], how shall ye flee from the doom of hell?

34 Therefore lo! I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes [Therefore lo! I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, or writers]; and of them ye shall slay and crucify, and of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and shall pursue from city into city;

35 that all the just blood come on [upon] you, that was shed on the earth, from the blood of just Abel [till] to the blood of Zacharias, the son of Barachias, whom ye slew betwixt the temple and the altar [whom ye slew between the temple and the altar].

36 Truly I say to you, all these things shall come on [upon] this generation.

37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that slayest prophets, and stonest them that be sent to thee, how oft would I gather together thy children, as an hen gathereth together her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not.

38 Lo! your house shall be left to you desert.

39 And I say to you, ye shall not see me from henceforth, till ye say, Blessed is he, that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:13 for ye close the realm of heaven before men; for ye enter not, neither ye suffer men entering to enter
  2. Matthew 23:16 Woe to you, blind leaders, that say, Whoever shall swear by the temple of God, it is nought; soothly he that shall swear in the gold of the temple, oweth, or is debtor.
  3. Matthew 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that thing of the cup and platter which is within, that also that thing that is withoutforth be made clean.