Luke 11:37-53

International Standard Version

Jesus Denounces the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law^(A)

³⁷ After Jesus^[a] had said this, a Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So Jesus^[b] went and took his place at the table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was surprised to see that he didn’t first wash before the meal. ³⁹ But the Lord told him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of greed and evil. ⁴⁰ You fools! The one who made the outside made the inside, too, didn’t he? ⁴¹ So give what is inside to the poor, and then everything will be clean for you.

⁴² “How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, spices, and every kind of herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.

⁴³ How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to have the places of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces.

⁴⁴ How terrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves—people walk on them without realizing it.”

⁴⁵ Then one of the experts in the Law told him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us, too.”

⁴⁶ Jesus^[c] said, “How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law, too! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, yet you don’t even lift a finger to ease those burdens.

⁴⁷ How terrible it will be for you! You build monuments for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them! ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors, because they killed those for whom you are building monuments. ⁴⁹ That is why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will kill some of them and persecute others,’^{[d] 50} so those living today^[e] will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that was shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel^[f] to the blood of Zechariah,^[g] who died between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation!

⁵² How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you kept out those who were trying to go in.”

⁵³ As Jesus^[h] was leaving, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely, interrogating him about many things.