Matteo 23
La Nuova Diodati
23 Allora Gesú parlò alle folle e ai suoi discepoli,
2 dicendo: «Gli scribi, e i farisei siedono sulla cattedra di Mosè.
3 Osservate dunque e fate tutte le cose che vi dicono di osservare; ma non fate come essi fanno, poiché dicono ma non fanno.
4 Legano infatti pesi pesanti e difficili da portare, e li mettono sulle spalle degli uomini; ma essi non li vogliono smuovere neppure con un dito.
5 Fanno tutte le loro opere per essere ammirati dagli uomini; allargano le loro filatterie, e allungano le frange dei loro vestiti,
6 Amano i posti d'onore nei conviti e i primi posti nelle sinagoghe,
7 e anche i saluti nelle piazze, e di sentirsi chiamare dagli uomini rabbi, rabbi.
8 Ma voi non fatevi chiamare maestro, perché uno solo è il vostro maestro: Il Cristo, e voi siete tutti fratelli.
9 E non chiamate alcuno sulla terra vostro padre, perché uno solo è vostro Padre, colui che è nei cieli.
10 Né fatevi chiamare guida, perché uno solo è la vostra guida: Il Cristo.
11 E il maggiore di voi sia vostro servo,
12 Or chiunque si innalzerà sarà abbassato; e chiunque si abbasserà sarà innalzato,
13 Ma guai a voi, scribi e farisei ipocriti! Perché chiudete il regno dei cieli davanti agli uomini; poiché né entrate voi né lasciate entrare coloro che stanno per entrarvi.
14 Guai a voi, scribi e farisei ipocriti! Perché divorate le case delle vedove e per pretesto fate lunghe preghiere; per questo subirete una condanna piú severa.
15 Guai a voi, scribi e farisei ipocriti! Perché scorrete il mare e la terra, per fare un proselito e, quando lo è diventato, ne fate un figlio della Geenna il doppio di voi.
16 Guai a voi, guide cieche, che dite: "se uno ha giurato per il tempio, non è nulla; ma se ha giurato per l'oro del tempio è obbligato".
17 Stolti e ciechi! Perché, cosa è piú grande, l'oro o il tempio che santifica l'oro?
18 "E: se uno ha giurato per l'altare, non è nulla; ma se ha giurato per l'offerta che vi è sopra è obbligato".
19 Stolti e ciechi! Poiché, cosa è piú grande, l'offerta o l'altare che santifica l'offerta?
20 Chi dunque giura per l'altare, giura per esso e per quanto vi è sopra.
21 Chi giura per il tempio, giura per esso e per colui che l'abita.
22 E chi giura per il cielo, giura per il trono di Dio e per colui che vi è assiso.
23 Guai a voi, scribi e farisei ipocriti! Perché calcolate la decima della menta dell'aneto e del comino, e trascurate le cose piú importanti della legge: il giudizio, la misericordia e la fede, queste cose bisogna praticare senza trascurare le altre.
24 Guide cieche, che colate il moscerino e inghiottite il cammello.
25 Guai a voi, scribi e farisei ipocriti! Perché pulite l'esterno della coppa e del piatto, mentre l'interno è pieno di rapina e d'intemperanza.
26 Fariseo cieco! Pulisci prima l'interno della coppa e del piatto, affinché anche l'esterno sia pulito.
27 Guai a voi, scribi e farisei ipocriti! Perché rassomigliate a sepolcri imbiancati, i quali di fuori appaiono belli, ma dentro sono pieni di ossa di morti e di ogni putredine.
28 Cosí anche voi di fuori apparite giusti davanti agli uomini, ma dentro siete pieni d'ipocrisia e d'iniquità.
29 Guai a voi, scribi e farisei ipocriti! Perché edificate i sepolcri dei profeti e ornate i monumenti dei giusti
30 e dite: "se noi fossimo vissuti al tempo dei nostri padri, non ci saremmo associati a loro nell'uccisione dei profeti
31 Cosí dicendo, voi testimoniate contro voi stessi, che siete figli di coloro che uccisero i profeti.
32 Voi superate la misura dei vostri padri!
33 Serpenti, razza di vipere! Come sfuggirete al giudizio della Geenna?
34 Perciò, ecco io vi mando dei profeti, dei savi e degli scribi; di loro ne ucciderete e crocifiggerete alcuni, altri ne flagellerete nelle vostre sinagoghe e li perseguiterete di città in città,
35 affinché ricada su di voi tutto il sangue giusto sparso sulla terra, dal sangue del giusto Abele, fino al sangue di Zaccaria, figlio di Barachia che uccideste fra il tempio e l'altare.
36 In verità vi dico che tutte queste cose ricadranno su questa generazione.
37 Gerusalemme, Gerusalemme, che uccidi i profeti e lapidi coloro che ti sono mandati! Quante volte ho voluto raccogliere i tuoi figli come la gallina raccoglie i suoi pulcini sotto le ali, e voi non avete voluto!
38 Ecco, la vostra casa vi è lasciata deserta.
39 Poiché io vi dico, che da ora in avanti non mi vedrete piú, finché non direte: "Benedetto colui che viene nel nome del Signore!"».
Matthew 23
Expanded Bible
Jesus Accuses Some Leaders(A)
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his ·followers [disciples], 2 “The ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the Pharisees ·have the authority to interpret what the law of Moses says [L sit in Moses’ seat/chair]. 3 So you should ·obey [do; practice] and ·follow [keep; observe] whatever they tell you, but ·their lives are not good examples for you to follow [L do not follow their actions]. ·They tell you to do things, but they themselves don’t do them [L For they say but do not do]. 4 They ·make strict rules [L tie up heavy loads/burdens that are hard to carry] and ·try to force people to obey them [L put them on people’s shoulders], but they are unwilling to ·help those who struggle under the weight of their rules [lift a finger to move them; L move them with their finger].
5 “They do good things so that other people will see them. They enlarge ·the little boxes holding Scriptures that they wear [L their phylacteries; C leather cases worn on the left arm and forehead to literally fulfill Deut. 6:8; 11:18], and they ·make their special prayer clothes very long [L lengthen their tassels; C Jewish males were to wear tassels on the four corners of their garment; Num. 15:38; Deut. 22:12]. 6 Those Pharisees and teachers of the law love to have the ·most important seats [places of greatest honor] at ·feasts [banquets] and [L the best seats] in the synagogues. 7 They love people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces, and they love to have people call them ·‘Teacher [L Rabbi].’
8 “But you must not be called ‘·Teacher [Rabbi],’ because you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters together. 9 And don’t call any person on earth ‘Father,’ because you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 And you should not be called ‘·Master [Leader; Teacher; Instructor]’ because you have only one ·Master [Leader; Teacher; Instructor], the ·Christ [Messiah]. 11 ·Whoever is your servant is the greatest among you [L The greatest among you will be your servant]. 12 Whoever ·makes himself great [lifts up/exalts himself] will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be ·made great [exalted; lifted up].
13 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! [L Because] You ·close [shut; lock] the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you ·stop [don’t allow] others who are trying to enter. |14 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You ·take away [L devour] widows’ houses, and you say long prayers ·so that people will notice you [as a pretense]. So you will have a worse ·punishment [condemnation].|[a]
15 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to ·find one person who will change to your ways [L make one convert/proseltye]. When you ·find that person [make that convert], you make him ·more fit for hell than [L twice the son of hell/Gehenna that; 5:22] you are.
16 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you! ·You guide the people, but you are blind [L Blind guides!]. You say, ‘If people ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the Temple when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gold that is in the Temple, they ·must keep that promise [are obligated/bound].’ 17 You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple that makes that gold ·holy [sacred; sanctified]? 18 And you say, ‘If people ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the ·gift [offering] on the altar, they ·must keep that promise [are obligated/bound].’ 19 You are blind! Which is greater: the ·gift [offering] or the altar that makes the gift ·holy [sacred; sanctified]? 20 [L So; Therefore] The person who swears by the altar is really swearing by the altar and also everything on the altar. 21 And the person who swears by the Temple is really swearing by the Temple and the One who ·lives [dwells] in the Temple. 22 The person who swears by heaven is also swearing by God’s throne and the One who sits on that throne.
23 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·give to God one-tenth of [pay tithe on] everything you have—even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you ·don’t obey [ignore; neglect] the ·really important teachings [L weightier matters] of the law—justice, mercy, and ·being loyal [faith; faithfulness]. These are the things you should do, ·as well as [without neglecting] those other things. 24 ·You guide the people, but you are blind! [L Blind guides!] You ·are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and then swallows a camel [L strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel; C worrying about the smallest mistakes while committing the biggest sins]!
25 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·wash [clean] the outside of your cups and dishes [C for ceremonial purity], but inside they are full of ·things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves [L greed/robbery and self-indulgence]. 26 Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup[b] clean, and then the outside ·can be truly [or will also be] clean.
27 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like ·tombs that are painted white [whitewashed tombs]. Outside, those tombs ·look fine [appear beautiful], but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of ·unclean things [filth; corruption; impurity]. 28 It is the same with you. ·People look at you and think you are good [or On the outside you look like righteous people], but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and ·evil [lawlessness].
29 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you ·show honor to [decorate; adorn] the graves of ·those who lived good lives [L the righteous]. 30 You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have ·helped them kill [L been partners in the blood of] the prophets.’ 31 But you ·give proof [L testify against yourselves] that you are ·descendants [sons; children] of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ·And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started [or Go ahead and finish what your fathers started!; L Fill up the measure of your fathers].
33 “You ·are snakes [serpents]! A ·family of poisonous snakes [T brood/offspring of vipers]! How are you going to escape ·God’s judgment [the sentence/judgment/damnation of hell/Gehenna; 5:22]? 34 ·So I tell you this [For this reason]: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and ·teachers [scribes; experts in the law]. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will ·beat [scourge; flog] in your synagogues and ·chase [hunt; persecute] from town to town. 35 So ·you will be guilty for [L upon you will come] ·the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth [L all the righteous blood shed on the earth]—from the ·murder [L blood] of that ·good [righteous] man Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the ·Temple [sanctuary] and the altar [C in the book order of the Hebrew Old Testament, Abel (Gen. 4:8) and Zechariah (2 Chr. 24:21) were the first and last men to be murdered]. 36 I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to ·you people who are living now [L this generation].
Jesus Grieves for Jerusalem(B)
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. ·Many times [How often] I wanted to gather your ·people [L children] as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you ·did not let me [refused]. 38 ·Now [L Look; T Behold] your house ·will be [L is] left ·completely empty [abandoned; deserted; desolate; Jer. 22:5]. 39 [L For] I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘·God bless [L Blessed is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord [Ps. 118:26].’”
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:14 How … punishment. Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text.
- Matthew 23:26 cup Some Greek copies add “and dish.”
Matthew 23
New Matthew Bible
Christ cries woe over the Pharisees, scribes, and hypocrites, and prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem.
23 Then Jesus spoke to the people and to his disciples, 2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 All therefore that they bid you to observe, that observe and do. But do not follow their works. For they say, but do not do. 4 Yea and they bind up heavy burdens, grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to carry them themselves.
5 All their works they do to be seen by men. They enlarge their phylacteries, and make large borders on their garments. 6 They love to sit uppermost at feasts, and to have the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and greetings in the markets, and to be called Rabbi by men.
8 But you shall not suffer yourselves to be called Rabbi. For one is your Master, that is, Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 And call no man upon the earth your father, for there is but one your Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Do not be called teachers, for there is but one your Teacher, and he is Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12 But whosoever exalts himself, shall be brought low. And he who humbles himself, shall be exalted.
13 Woe is to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven before men. You yourselves go not in, neither do you suffer those who come to enter in.
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses, and that under a colour of praying long prayers, for which you shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who compass land and sea to bring one person into your belief. And when he is brought in, you make him twofold more the child of hell than you yourselves are.
16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say that if someone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but whosoever swears by the gold of the temple, he offends. 17 O fools, and blind! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And whosoever swears by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering that lies on the altar, offends – 19 Ye fools, and blind! Which is greater: the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20 Whoever therefore swears by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells therein. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the seat of God and by him who sits upon it.
23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe mint, anise, and cummin, and leave the weightier matters of the law undone: judgment, mercy, and faith. These you ought to have done, and not to have left the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of greed and excess. 26 You blind Pharisee: cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, so that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like painted tombs, which appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of dead bones and of all uncleanness. 28 This is how you are, for outwardly you appear righteous to men, when within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 So then, you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets! 32 Fill up then likewise the cup of your fathers. 33 Serpents and offspring of vipers, how can you escape the judgment of hell?
34 And so behold: I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood that was shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills prophets, and stones those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together, as the hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you would not. 38 Behold, your habitation shall be left to you desolate. 39 For I say to you, you will not see me henceforth until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Copyright © 1991 by La Buona Novella s.c.r.l.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.