Yesu Awashutumu Walimu Wa Sheria Na Mafarisayo

23 Kisha Yesu akawaambia ule umati wa watu pamoja na wana funzi wake: “Walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo wamechukua nafasi ya Musa, kwa hiyo watiini na kufanya yote wanayowaambia mfa nye. Lakini msifuate matendo yao; kwa sababu hawatendi yale wanayohubiri. Wao hufunga mizigo mikubwa na kuwabebesha watu, lakini wao wenyewe hawajaribu hata kunyoosha kidole kuisogeza!

“Wao hufanya mambo yao yote ili waonekane na watu. Wanavaa vipande vipana vya ngozi vilivyoandikwa sheria na kurefusha zaidi pindo za mavazi yao ya sala. Wanapenda kukaa viti vya wageni wa heshima karamuni na viti vya mbele katika masinagogi. Hupenda kuamkiwa masokoni na kuitwa ‘Rabi.’

“Lakini ninyi msipende kuitwa ‘Rabi’ kwa sababu mnaye rabi mmoja, na ninyi nyote ni ndugu. Na msimwite mtu ye yote hapa duniani ‘baba’ kwa maana mnaye Baba mmoja, naye yuko mbinguni. 10 Hali kadhalika msipende kuitwa ‘mabwana’ kwa maana mnaye Bwana mmoja tu, yaani Kristo. 11 Aliye mkuu kuliko ninyi nyote atakuwa mtumishi wenu. 12 Ye yote anayejikuza atashushwa; na ye yote anayejinyenyekeza atainuliwa.

13 “Lakini ole wenu walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo, ninyi wanafiki! Kwa maana mnafungia watu milango ya Ufalme wa mbinguni. Ninyi wenyewe hamuingii humo, wala hamruhusu wale ambao wange penda kuingia waingie. [

14 “Ole wenu walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo, ninyi wana fiki! Mnadhulumu nyumba za wajane, na kwa kujionyesha kuwa wema, mnasali sala ndefu. Kwa hiyo adhabu yenu itakuwa kubwa zaidi.”]

15 “Ole wenu walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo, ninyi wana fiki! Mnasafiri baharini na nchi kavu ili kumfanya mtu mmoja awe mfuasi wa dini yenu, lakini baada ya kumpata, mnamfanya astahili kwenda Jehena mara mbili zaidi yenu!

16 “Ole wenu viongozi vipofu! Ninyi mnasema, ‘Mtu akiapa kwa Hekalu, kiapo hicho si kitu; lakini mtu akiapa kwa dhahabu iliyoko Hekaluni, itambidi atimize kiapo hicho.’ 17 Ninyi vipofu wajinga! Ni kipi kilicho bora zaidi, ni ile dhahabu au ni Hekalu ambalo ndilo linafanya dhahabu hiyo kuwa takatifu? 18 Pia mnasema, ‘Mtu akiapa kwa madhabahu, si kitu, lakini mtu akiapa kwa sadaka iliyoko madhabahuni itambidi atimize kiapo hicho.’ 19 Ninyi vipofu! Ni kipi bora zaidi, sadaka, au madhabahu ambayo ndio inafanya sadaka hiyo kuwa takatifu? 20 Kwa hiyo mtu anayeapa kwa madhabahu, anaapa kwa hiyo madhabahu na vitu vyote vilivyoko juu yake. 21 Na mtu anapoapa kwa Hekalu, anaapa kwa hilo Hekalu na huyo aishie ndani yake. 22 Naye anayeapa kwa mbingu anaapa kwa kiti cha enzi cha Mungu na kwa yeye aketiye juu ya kiti hicho.

23 “Ole wenu walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo, ninyi wana fiki! Kwa maana mnatoa fungu la kumi la mnanaa, na bizari na jira; lakini mmepuuza mambo makuu zaidi ya sheria: haki, huruma na imani. Haya mlipaswa kuyafanya bila kusahau yale mengine. 24 Ninyi viongozi vipofu, mnachuja nzi lakini mnameza ngamia!

25 “Ole wenu walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo, ninyi wana fiki! Kwa maana mnasafisha kikombe na sahani kwa nje lakini ndani mmejaa ulafi na unyang’anyi. 26 Ninyi Mafarisayo vipofu! Kwanza safisheni kikombe na sahani kwa ndani, ndipo nje patakuwa safi.

27 “Ole wenu, walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo, ninyi wana fiki! Mnafanana na makaburi yaliyopakwa chokaa ambayo kwa juu yanaonekana maridadi lakini ndani yamejaa mifupa ya wafu na kila aina ya uchafu. 28 Hali kadhalika, nje ninyi mnaonekana kwa watu kuwa wenye haki, lakini kwa ndani mmejaa unafiki na uovu.

29 “Ole wenu, walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo, ninyi wana fiki! Mnajenga makaburi ya manabii na kupamba makaburi ya wenye haki 30 mkisema, ‘Kama tungaliishi wakati wa baba zetu tusingel ishiriki katika kuwaua manabii !’ 31 Kwa kusema hivyo mnakiri kwamba ninyi ni wana wa wale waliowaua manabii. 32 Haya basi, kamilisheni hiyo kazi waliyoianza baba zenu! 33 Ninyi nyoka, ninyi kundi la nyoka! Mtaepukaje hukumu ya Jehena? 34 Kwa sababu hiyo nawapelekea manabii na wenye hekima na walimu. Baadhi yao mtawaua na kuwatundika msalabani, wengine mtawapiga mijeledi katika masinagogi yenu na wengine mtawatesa toka mji mmoja hadi mji mwingine. 35 Na kwa hiyo damu ya wote wenye haki ambayo imemwagwa hapa duniani, tangu damu ya Abeli, ambaye alikuwa hana hatia, hadi damu ya Zakaria mwana wa Barakia ambaye mlimwua kati kati ya Patakatifu na madhabahu, itakuwa juu yenu. 36 Nawaambia kweli haya yote yatatokea wakati wa kizazi hiki.”

Yesu Awaonya Watu Wa Yerusalemu

37 “Ninyi watu wa Yerusalemu; mnawaua manabii na kuwapiga mawe wale waliotumwa kwenu! Nilitamani sana kuwakusanya wana wenu kama vile kuku akusanyavyo vifaranga vyake chini ya mbawa zake, lakini hamkutaka! 38 Tazama nyumba yenu imeachwa tupu na ukiwa. 39 Kwa maana nawahakikishia kuwa, hamtaniona tena mpaka siku ile mtakaposema: ‘Amebarikiwa yeye anayekuja kwa jina la Bwana.

A Warning Against Hypocrisy(A)(B)

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law(C) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.(D)

“Everything they do is done for people to see:(E) They make their phylacteries[a](F) wide and the tassels on their garments(G) long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;(H) they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.(I)

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father,(J) and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(K) 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.(L)

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(M) 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.(N) [14] [b]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,(O) and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell(P) as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides!(Q) You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’(R) 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?(S) 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?(T) 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells(U) in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.(V)

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth(W) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.(X) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides!(Y) You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish,(Z) but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.(AA) 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,(AB) which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets(AC) and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.(AD) 32 Go ahead, then, and complete(AE) what your ancestors started!(AF)

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers!(AG) How will you escape being condemned to hell?(AH) 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;(AI) others you will flog in your synagogues(AJ) and pursue from town to town.(AK) 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel(AL) to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah,(AM) whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.(AN) 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.(AO)

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,(AP) how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,(AQ) and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.(AR) 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[c](AS)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:5 That is, boxes containing Scripture verses, worn on forehead and arm
  2. Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
  3. Matthew 23:39 Psalm 118:26