Matthew 23
New American Standard Bible
Hypocrisy Exposed
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, whatever they tell you, do and [a]comply with it all, but do not do [b]as they do; for they say things and do not do them. 4 And (C)they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. 5 And they do all their deeds (D)to be noticed by other people; for they (E)broaden their [c]phylacteries and lengthen (F)the tassels of their garments. 6 And they (G)love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, 7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called [d](H)Rabbi by the people. 8 But as for you, (I)do not be called [e](J)Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only (K)One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called [f]leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 (L)But the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12 (M)Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Eight Woes
13 “(N)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, (O)because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.[g]
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one [h](P)proselyte; and when he becomes one, you [i]make him twice as much a son of [j](Q)hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, (R)blind guides, who say, ‘(S)Whoever swears by the [k]temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [l]temple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! (T)Which is [m]more important, the gold or the [n]temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the [o]offering that is on it is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, (U)which is [p]more important, the [q]offering or the altar that sanctifies the [r]offering? 20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by [s]the altar and by everything on it. 21 And the one who swears by the [t]temple, swears both by [u]the temple and by Him who (V)dwells in it. 22 And the one who swears by [v]heaven, (W)swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 “(X)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [w]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 (Y)blind guides, who [x]strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (Z)you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full [y]of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first (AA)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the [z]outside of it may also become clean.
27 “(AB)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 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “(AC)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and you 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 testify against yourselves, that you (AD)are [aa]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 [ab]Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You snakes, (AE)you [ac]offspring of vipers, how [ad]will you escape the [ae]sentence of [af](AF)hell?
34 “(AG)Therefore, behold, (AH)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will (AI)flog in your synagogues, and (AJ)persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous (AK)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the (AL)son of Berechiah, whom (AM)you murdered between the [ag]temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon (AN)this generation.
Grieving over Jerusalem
37 “(AO)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who (AP)kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, (AQ)the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, (AR)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, ‘(AS)Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:3 Lit keep all
- Matthew 23:3 Lit according to their deeds
- Matthew 23:5 I.e., small pouches containing Scripture texts, worn on the left forearm and forehead for religious purposes
- Matthew 23:7 In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
- Matthew 23:8 In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
- Matthew 23:10 Or teachers
- Matthew 23:13 Late mss add (traditionally v 14): Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses even while for appearances’ sake you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation (as v 14); cf. Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47
- Matthew 23:15 Or convert
- Matthew 23:15 I.e., doom him to hell
- Matthew 23:15 Gr Gehenna
- Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
- Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
- Matthew 23:17 Lit greater
- Matthew 23:17 Or sanctuary
- Matthew 23:18 Or gift
- Matthew 23:19 Lit greater
- Matthew 23:19 Or gift
- Matthew 23:19 Or gift
- Matthew 23:20 Lit it
- Matthew 23:21 Or sanctuary
- Matthew 23:21 Lit it
- Matthew 23:22 I.e., an indirect reference to God
- Matthew 23:23 Similar to caraway seeds
- Matthew 23:24 Or filter out
- Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of
- Matthew 23:26 If the inside was ritually unclean, the entire vessel was unclean whether the outside was cleaned or not (cf. Num 19:15)
- Matthew 23:31 Or descendants
- Matthew 23:32 I.e., finish what they started
- Matthew 23:33 Or brood
- Matthew 23:33 Lit are you to escape
- Matthew 23:33 Or judgment
- Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna
- Matthew 23:35 Or sanctuary
Matthew 23
English Standard Version
Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees
23 Then Jesus (A)said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 (B)“The scribes and the Pharisees (C)sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, (D)but not the works they do. (E)For they preach, but do not practice. 4 (F)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 (G)They do all their deeds (H)to be seen by others. For they make (I)their phylacteries broad and (J)their fringes long, 6 and they (K)love the place of honor at feasts and (L)the best seats in the synagogues 7 and (M)greetings in (N)the marketplaces and being called (O)rabbi[b] by others. 8 (P)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are (Q)all brothers.[c] 9 (R)And call no man your father on earth, for (S)you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, (T)the Christ. 11 (U)The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 (V)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe (W)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you (X)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you (Y)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.[d] 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single (Z)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a (AA)child of (AB)hell[e] as yourselves.
16 “Woe to (AC)you, (AD)blind guides, who say, (AE)‘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 (AF)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 (AG)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or (AH)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 (AI)him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by (AJ)heaven swears by (AK)the throne of God and by (AL)him who sits upon it.
23 (AM)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (AN)you tithe mint and dill and (AO)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: (AP)justice and mercy and faithfulness. (AQ)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing (AR)a camel!
25 (AS)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (AT)you clean the outside of (AU)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of (AV)greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of (AW)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 (AX)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like (AY)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and (AZ)all uncleanness. 28 So you also (BA)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of (BB)hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 (BC)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate 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 (BD)sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 (BE)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, (BF)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to (BG)hell? 34 (BH)Therefore (BI)I send you (BJ)prophets and wise men and (BK)scribes, (BL)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and (BM)some you will (BN)flog in your synagogues and (BO)persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all (BP)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous (BQ)Abel to the blood of (BR)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,[f] whom you murdered between (BS)the sanctuary and (BT)the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, (BU)all these things will come upon this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem
37 (BV)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that (BW)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have (BX)gathered (BY)your children together (BZ)as a hen gathers her brood (CA)under her wings, and (CB)you were not willing! 38 See, (CC)your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, (CD)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:4 Some manuscripts omit hard to bear
- Matthew 23:7 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master; also verse 8
- Matthew 23:8 Or brothers and sisters
- Matthew 23:13 Some manuscripts 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; also verse 33
- Matthew 23:35 Some manuscripts omit the son of Barachiah
Matthew 23
J.B. Phillips New Testament
He publicly warns the people against their religious leaders
23 1-12 Then Jesus addressed the crowds and his disciples. “The scribes and the Pharisees speak with the authority of Moses,” he told them, “so you must do what they tell you and follow their instructions. But you must not imitate their lives! For they preach but do not practise. They pile up back-breaking burdens and lay them on other men’s shoulders—yet they themselves will not raise a finger to move them. Their whole lives are planned with an eye to effect. They increase the size of their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their robes; they love seats of honour at dinner parties and front places in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with respect in public places and to have men call them ‘rabbi!’ Don’t you ever be called ‘rabbi’—you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers. And don’t call any human being ‘father’—for you have one Father and he is in Heaven. And you must not let people call you ‘leaders’—you have only one leader, Christ! The only ‘superior’ among you is the one who serves the others. For every man who promotes himself will be humbled, and every man who learns to be humble will find promotion.
13-14 “But alas for you, you scribes and Pharisees, play-actors that you are! You lock the door of the kingdom of Heaven in men’s faces; you will not go in yourselves neither will you allow those at the door to go inside.
15 “Alas for you, you scribes and Pharisees, play-actors! You scour sea and land to make a single convert, and then you make him twice as ripe for destruction as you are yourselves.
16-22 “Alas for you, you blind leaders! You say, ‘if anyone swears by the Temple it amounts to nothing, but if he swears by the gold of the Temple he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools, which is the more important, the gold or the Temple which sanctifies the gold? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar it doesn’t matter, but if he swears by the gift placed on the altar he is bound by his oath.’ Have you no eyes—which is more important, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift? Any man who swears by the altar is swearing by the altar and whatever is offered upon it; and anyone who swears by the Temple is swearing by the Temple and by him who dwells in it; and anyone who swears by Heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by the one who sits upon that throne.
23-24 “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you utter frauds! For you pay your tithe on mint and aniseed and cummin, and neglect the things which carry far more weight in the Law—justice, mercy and good faith. These are the things you should have observed—without neglecting the others. You call yourselves leaders, and yet you can’t see an inch before your noses, for you filter out the mosquito and swallow the camel.
25-26 “What miserable frauds you are, you scribes and Pharisees! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, while the inside is full of greed and self-indulgence. Can’t you see, Pharisee? First wash the inside of a cup, and then you can clean the outside.
27-28 “Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! You are like white-washed tombs, which look fine on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all kinds of rottenness. For you appear like good men on the outside—but inside you are a mass of pretence and wickedness.
29-36 “What miserable frauds you are, you scribes and Pharisees! You build tombs for the prophets, and decorate monuments for good men of the past, and then say, ‘If we had lived in the times of our ancestors we should never have joined in the killing of the prophets.’ Yes, ‘your ancestors’—that shows you to be sons indeed of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead then, and finish off what your ancestors tried to do! You serpents, you viper’s brood, how do you think you are going to avoid being condemned to the rubbish-heap? Listen to this: I am sending you prophets and wise and learned men; and some of these you will kill and crucify, others you will flog in your synagogues and hunt from town to town. So that on your hands is all the innocent blood spilt on this earth, from the blood of Abel the good to the blood of Zachariah, Barachiah’s son, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Yes, I tell you that all this will be laid at the doors of this generation.
Jesus mourns over Jerusalem, and foretells its destruction
37-39 “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You murder the prophets and stone the messengers that are sent to you. How often have I longed to gather your children round me like a bird gathering her brood together under her wing—and you would never have it. Now all you have left is your house. I tell you that you will never see me again till the day when you cry, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.