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Matthew 23:13-36
Legacy Standard Bible
Matthew 23:13-36
Legacy Standard Bible
Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees
13 “(A)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, (B)because you shut off the kingdom of heaven [a]from [b]people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [c][Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because (C)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 [d](D)proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of [e](E)hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, (F)blind guides, who say, ‘(G)Whoever swears by the [f]sanctuary, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [g]sanctuary is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! For (H)which is [h]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 [i]offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, (I)which is [j]more important, the [k]offering, or the altar that sanctifies the [l]offering? 20 Therefore, [m]whoever swears by the altar, swears both by [n]the altar and by everything on it. 21 And [o]whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears both by the [p]sanctuary and by Him who (J)dwells within it. 22 And [q]whoever swears by heaven, (K)swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 “(L)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [r]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 (M)blind guides, who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (N)you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full [s]of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first (O)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
27 “(P)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 “(Q)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 (R)are [t]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, (S)you brood of vipers, how [u]will you escape the [v]sentence of [w](T)hell?
34 “(U)On account of this, behold, (V)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will (W)flog in your synagogues, and (X)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 (Y)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the (Z)son of Berechiah, whom (AA)you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon (AB)this generation.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 23:13 Lit in front of
- Matthew 23:13 Gr anthropoi
- Matthew 23:14 Early mss omit this v
- Matthew 23:15 Or convert
- Matthew 23:15 Gr Gehenna
- Matthew 23:16 The inner part of the temple
- Matthew 23:16 The inner part of the temple
- Matthew 23:17 Lit greater
- Matthew 23:18 Or gift
- Matthew 23:19 Lit greater
- Matthew 23:19 Or gift
- Matthew 23:19 Or gift
- Matthew 23:20 Lit he who
- Matthew 23:20 Lit it
- Matthew 23:21 Lit he who
- Matthew 23:21 Lit it
- Matthew 23:22 Lit he who
- Matthew 23:23 Similar to caraway seeds
- Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of
- Matthew 23:31 Or descendants
- Matthew 23:33 Lit would
- Matthew 23:33 Or judgment
- Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna
Matthew 23:13-36
New International Version
Matthew 23:13-36
New International Version
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) [14] [a]
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,(C) and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell(D) as you are.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides!(E) 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.’(F) 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?(G) 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?(H) 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(I) in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.(J)
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth(K) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.(L) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides!(M) 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,(N) but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.(O) 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,(P) 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(Q) 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.(R) 32 Go ahead, then, and complete(S) what your ancestors started!(T)
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers!(U) How will you escape being condemned to hell?(V) 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;(W) others you will flog in your synagogues(X) and pursue from town to town.(Y) 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel(Z) to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah,(AA) whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.(AB) 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.(AC)
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
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