40 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”

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40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

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47 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”

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47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

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33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

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33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers!(A) How will you escape being condemned to hell?(B)

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13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 23:13 Some manuscripts add verse 14, What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, you will be severely punished. Compare Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(A) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(B)

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“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.

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And when you pray, do not keep on babbling(A) like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.(B)

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They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of[a] vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:6 Greek and take captive.

They are the kind who worm their way(A) into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,

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47 “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. 48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

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47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.(A) 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.(B) From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

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22 I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.

23 “And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.[a] For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. 24 I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”

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Footnotes

  1. 11:23 Greek to Hades.

22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.(A) 23 And you, Capernaum,(B) will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.[a](C) For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:23 That is, the realm of the dead

Judgment against Israel’s Leaders

I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel!
    You are supposed to know right from wrong,
but you are the very ones
    who hate good and love evil.
You skin my people alive
    and tear the flesh from their bones.
Yes, you eat my people’s flesh,
    strip off their skin,
    and break their bones.
You chop them up
    like meat for the cooking pot.
Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble!
    Do you really expect him to answer?
After all the evil you have done,
    he won’t even look at you!”

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Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
who eat my people’s flesh,(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(D)
who chop(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(F)

Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.(G)
At that time he will hide his face(H) from them
    because of the evil they have done.(I)

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25 Your princes[a] plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They make many widows in the land.

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Footnotes

  1. 22:25 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads prophets.

25 There is a conspiracy(A) of her princes[a] within her like a roaring lion(B) tearing its prey; they devour people,(C) take treasures and precious things and make many widows(D) within her.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 22:25 Septuagint; Hebrew prophets

When you want a piece of land,
    you find a way to seize it.
When you want someone’s house,
    you take it by fraud and violence.
You cheat a man of his property,
    stealing his family’s inheritance.

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They covet fields(A) and seize them,(B)
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud(C) people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.(D)

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