⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.^(A)

⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and who love respectful greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets.^(A)

Jesus Denounces the Scribes

³⁸ As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces^{(A) 39} and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!

Diotrephes and Demetrius

⁹ I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not welcome us.

² For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³ and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here in a good place, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit by my footstool,”^{(A) 4} have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.^(A)

¹⁰ love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.

Humility and Hospitality

⁷ When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable.^{(A) 8} “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host,^{(B) 9} and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.^{(C) 11} For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(D)

⁶ They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues^{(A) 7} and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi.