Matthew 23:12-22

English Standard Version

^12 (A)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ “But woe ^(B)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(C)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(D)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[a] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(E)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(F)child of ^(G)hell^[b] as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to ^(H)you, ^(I)blind guides, who say, ^(J)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(K)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(L)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(M)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(N)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(O)heaven swears by ^(P)the throne of God and by ^(Q)him who sits upon it.