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Matthew 23
Legacy Standard Bible

The Scribes and Pharisees Denounced

23 (A)Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “(B)The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and keep, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4 (C)And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5 But they do all their deeds (D)to be noticed by men; for they (E)broaden their [a]phylacteries and lengthen (F)the tassels of their garments. 6 And they (G)love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the marketplaces, and being called (H)Rabbi by men. 8 But (I)do not be called (J)Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for (K)One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called instructors; for One is your Instructor, that is, Christ. 11 (L)But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 (M)And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

13 “(N)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, (O)because you shut off the kingdom of heaven [b]from [c]people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [d][Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because (P)you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one [e](Q)proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of [f](R)hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, (S)blind guides, who say, ‘(T)Whoever swears by the [g]sanctuary, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [h]sanctuary is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! For (U)which is [i]more important, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the [j]offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, (V)which is [k]more important, the [l]offering, or the altar that sanctifies the [m]offering? 20 Therefore, [n]whoever swears by the altar, swears both by [o]the altar and by everything on it. 21 And [p]whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears both by the [q]sanctuary and by Him who (W)dwells within it. 22 And [r]whoever swears by heaven, (X)swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23 “(Y)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [s]cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You (Z)blind guides, who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (AA)you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full [t]of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first (AB)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27 “(AC)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 In this way, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “(AD)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you bear witness against yourselves, that you (AE)are [u]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, (AF)you brood of vipers, how [v]will you escape the [w]sentence of [x](AG)hell?

34 “(AH)On account of this, behold, (AI)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will (AJ)flog in your synagogues, and (AK)persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous (AL)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the (AM)son of Berechiah, whom (AN)you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon (AO)this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 “(AP)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who (AQ)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, (AR)the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it. 38 Behold, (AS)your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘(AT)Blessed is He who comes in the name of the [y]Lord!’”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:5 Small cases containing Scripture texts worn on the left arm and forehead for religious purposes
  2. Matthew 23:13 Lit in front of
  3. Matthew 23:13 Gr anthropoi
  4. Matthew 23:14 Early mss omit this v
  5. Matthew 23:15 Or convert
  6. Matthew 23:15 Gr Gehenna
  7. Matthew 23:16 The inner part of the temple
  8. Matthew 23:16 The inner part of the temple
  9. Matthew 23:17 Lit greater
  10. Matthew 23:18 Or gift
  11. Matthew 23:19 Lit greater
  12. Matthew 23:19 Or gift
  13. Matthew 23:19 Or gift
  14. Matthew 23:20 Lit he who
  15. Matthew 23:20 Lit it
  16. Matthew 23:21 Lit he who
  17. Matthew 23:21 Lit it
  18. Matthew 23:22 Lit he who
  19. Matthew 23:23 Similar to caraway seeds
  20. Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of
  21. Matthew 23:31 Or descendants
  22. Matthew 23:33 Lit would
  23. Matthew 23:33 Or judgment
  24. Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna
  25. Matthew 23:39 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Ps 118:26
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Matthew 23
New International Version

A Warning Against Hypocrisy(A)(B)

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law(C) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 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. 4 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)

5 “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; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;(H) 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.(I)

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 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)

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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
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