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!’”
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:5 Small cases containing Scripture texts worn on the left arm and forehead for religious purposes
- 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 23:39 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Ps 118:26
Matthew 23
Revised Standard Version
Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees
23 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; 12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in.[b] 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell[c] as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22 and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?[d] 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechari′ah the son of Barachi′ah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation.
The Lament over Jerusalem
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate.[e] 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.’”
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:4 Other ancient authorities omit hard to bear
- Matthew 23:13 Other authorities add here (or after verse 12) verse 14, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation
- Matthew 23:15 Greek Gehenna
- Matthew 23:33 Greek Gehenna
- Matthew 23:38 Other ancient authorities omit and desolate
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