Luke 11:37-53
Legacy Standard Bible
Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers
37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee *asked Him to have a meal with him. And He went in and reclined at the table. 38 But when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first [a](A)ceremonially washed before the [b]meal. 39 But (B)the Lord said to him, “Now (C)you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but [c]inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40 (D)You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But (E)give that which is within as charity, and [d]then all things are (F)clean for you.
42 “(G)But woe to you Pharisees! For you (H)pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God, but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you (I)love the best seat in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the marketplaces. 44 (J)Woe to you! For you are like [e]concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
45 Now one of the (K)scholars of the Law answered and said to Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.” 46 But He said, “Woe to you (L)scholars of the Law as well! For (M)you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 (N)Woe to you! For you build the [f]tombs of the prophets, but your fathers killed them. 48 So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason also (O)the wisdom of God said, ‘(P)I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will [g]persecute, 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed (Q)since the foundation of the world, may be [h]charged against this generation, 51 from (R)the blood of Abel to (S)the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be [i]charged against this generation.’ 52 Woe to you, (T)scholars of the Law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; (U)you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 11:38 Lit baptized
- Luke 11:38 Or lunch
- Luke 11:39 Lit your inside is full
- Luke 11:41 Lit behold
- Luke 11:44 Or indistinct
- Luke 11:47 Or monuments to
- Luke 11:49 Or drive out
- Luke 11:50 Or required of
- Luke 11:51 Or required of
Luke 11:37-53
Common English Bible
Jesus condemns Pharisees and legal experts
37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to share a meal with him, so Jesus went and took his place at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw that Jesus didn’t ritually purify his hands by washing before the meal, he was astonished.
39 The Lord said to him, “Now, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and platter, but your insides are stuffed with greed and wickedness. 40 Foolish people! Didn’t the one who made the outside also make the inside? 41 Therefore, give to those in need from the core of who you are and you will be clean all over.
42 “How terrible for you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and garden herbs of all kinds, while neglecting justice and love for God. These you ought to have done without neglecting the others.
43 “How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the most prominent seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.
44 “How terrible for you! You are like unmarked graves, and people walk on them without recognizing it.”
45 One of the legal experts responded, “Teacher, when you say these things, you are insulting us too.”
46 Jesus said, “How terrible for you legal experts too! You load people down with impossible burdens and you refuse to lift a single finger to help them.
47 “How terrible for you! You built memorials to the prophets, whom your ancestors killed. 48 In this way, you testify that you approve of your ancestors’ deeds. They killed the prophets, and you build memorials! 49 Therefore, God’s wisdom has said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them and they will harass and kill some of them.’ 50 As a result, this generation will be charged with the murder of all the prophets since the beginning of time. 51 This includes the murder of every prophet—from Abel to Zechariah—who was killed between the altar and the holy place. Yes, I’m telling you, this generation will be charged with it.
52 “How terrible for you legal experts! You snatched away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter yourselves, and you stood in the way of those who were entering.”
53 As he left there, the legal experts and Pharisees began to resent him deeply and to ask him pointed questions about many things.
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