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Matthew 23
Living Bible
Matthew 23
Living Bible
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds, and to his disciples, 2 “You would think these Jewish leaders and these Pharisees were Moses, the way they keep making up so many laws![a] 3
5 “Everything they do is done for show. They act holy[b] by wearing on their arms little prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and by lengthening the memorial fringes of their robes. 6 And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the reserved pews in the synagogue! 7 How they enjoy the deference paid them on the streets and to be called ‘Rabbi’ and ‘Master’! 8 Don’t ever let anyone call you that. For only God is your Rabbi and all of you are on the same level, as brothers. 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven should be addressed like that. 10 And don’t be called ‘Master,’ for only one is your master, even the Messiah.
11 “The more lowly your service to others, the greater you are. To be the greatest, be a servant. 12 But those who think themselves great shall be disappointed and humbled; and those who humble themselves shall be exalted.
13-14 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders. Hypocrites! For you won’t let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven and won’t go in yourselves. And you pretend to be holy, with all your long, public prayers in the streets, while you are evicting widows from their homes. Hypocrites! 15 Yes, woe upon you hypocrites. For you go to all lengths to make one convert, and then turn him into twice the son of hell you are yourselves. 16 Blind guides! Woe upon you! For your rule is that to swear ‘By God’s Temple’ means nothing—you can break that oath, but to swear ‘By the gold in the Temple’ is binding! 17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold, or the Temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And you say that to take an oath ‘By the altar’ can be broken, but to swear ‘By the gifts on the altar’ is binding! 19 Blind! For which is greater, the gift on the altar, or the altar itself that sanctifies the gift? 20 When you swear ‘By the altar,’ you are swearing by it and everything on it, 21 and when you swear ‘By the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God who lives in it. 22 And when you swear ‘By heavens,’ you are swearing by the Throne of God and by God himself.
23 “Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders—hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things—justice and mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders—hypocrites! You are so careful to polish the outside of the cup, but the inside is foul with extortion and greed. 26 Blind Pharisees! First cleanse the inside of the cup, and then the whole cup will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders! You are like beautiful mausoleums—full of dead men’s bones, and of foulness and corruption. 28 You try to look like saintly men, but underneath those pious robes of yours are hearts besmirched with every sort of hypocrisy and sin.
29-30 “Yes, woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders—hypocrites! For you build monuments to the prophets killed by your fathers and lay flowers on the graves of the godly men they destroyed, and say, ‘We certainly would never have acted as our fathers did.’
31 “In saying that, you are accusing yourselves of being the sons of wicked men. 32 And you are following in their steps, filling up the full measure of their evil. 33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How shall you escape the judgment of hell?
34 “I will send you prophets, and wise men, and inspired writers, and you will kill some by crucifixion, and rip open the backs of others with whips in your synagogues, and hound them from city to city, 35 so that you will become guilty of all the blood of murdered godly men from righteous Abel to Zechariah (son of Barachiah), slain by you in the Temple between the altar and the sanctuary. 36 Yes, all the accumulated judgment of the centuries shall break upon the heads of this very generation.
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones all those God sends to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now your house is left to you, desolate. 39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you are ready to welcome the one sent to you from God.”[c]
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:2 keep making up so many laws, literally, “sit on Moses’ seat.”
- Matthew 23:5 act holy, implied. wearing . . . little prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, literally, “enlarging their phylacteries.”
- Matthew 23:39 from God, literally, “in the name of the Lord.”
Matthew 23
New King James Version
Matthew 23
New King James Version
Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees(A)
23 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: (B)“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you [a]to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for (C)they say, and do not do. 4 (D)For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to (E)be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 (F)They love the [b]best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 (G)But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your [c]Teacher, [d]the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; (H)for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But (I)he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 (J)And whoever exalts himself will be [e]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be [f]exalted.
13 “But (K)woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [g]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (L)For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of [h]hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, (M)blind guides, who say, (N)‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold (O)or the temple that [i]sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift (P)or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who [j]swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by (Q)Him who [k]dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by (R)the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (S)For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and (T)have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (U)For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and [l]self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (V)For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 (W)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and [m]adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that (X)you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 (Y)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, (Z)brood[n] of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 (AA)Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: (AB)some of them you will kill and crucify, and (AC)some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 (AD)that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, (AE)from the blood of righteous Abel to (AF)the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem(AG)
37 (AH)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets (AI)and stones those who are sent to her! How often (AJ)I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks (AK)under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, (AL)‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:3 NU omits to observe
- Matthew 23:6 Or place of honor
- Matthew 23:8 Leader
- Matthew 23:8 NU omits the Christ
- Matthew 23:12 put down
- Matthew 23:12 lifted up
- Matthew 23:14 NU omits v. 14.
- Matthew 23:15 Gr. Gehenna
- Matthew 23:17 NU sanctified
- Matthew 23:20 Swears an oath
- Matthew 23:21 M dwelt
- Matthew 23:25 M unrighteousness
- Matthew 23:29 decorate
- Matthew 23:33 offspring
Mateo 23
Spanish Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition
Mateo 23
Spanish Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition
23 ENTONCES habló Jesús á las gentes y á sus discípulos,
2 Diciendo: Sobre la cátedra de Moisés se sentaron los escribas y los Fariseos:
3 Así que, todo lo que os dijeren que guardéis, guardadlo y hacedlo; mas no hagáis conforme á sus obras: porque dicen, y no hacen.
4 Porque atan cargas pesadas y difíciles de llevar, y las ponen sobre los hombros de los hombres; mas ni aun con su dedo las quieren mover.
5 Antes, todas sus obras hacen para ser mirados de los hombres; porque ensanchan sus filacterias, y extienden los flecos de sus mantos;
6 Y aman los primeros asientos en las cenas, y las primeras sillas en las sinagogas;
7 Y las salutaciones en las plazas, y ser llamados de los hombres Rabbí, Rabbí.
8 Mas vosotros, no queráis ser llamados Rabbí; porque uno es vuestro Maestro, el Cristo; y todos vosotros sois hermanos.
9 Y vuestro padre no llaméis á nadie en la tierra; porque uno es vuestro Padre, el cual está en los cielos.
10 Ni seáis llamados maestros; porque uno es vuestro Maestro, el Cristo.
11 El que es el mayor de vosotros, sea vuestro siervo.
12 Porque el que se ensalzare, será humillado; y el que se humillare, será ensalzado.
13 Mas ¡ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! porque cerráis el reino de los cielos delante de los hombres; que ni vosotros entráis, ni á los que están entrando dejáis entrar.
14 ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! porque coméis las casas de las viudas, y por pretexto hacéis larga oración: por esto llevaréis más grave juicio.
15 ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! porque rodeáis la mar y la tierra por hacer un prosélito; y cuando fuere hecho, le hacéis hijo del infierno doble más que vosotros.
16 ¡Ay de vosotros, guías ciegos! que decís: Cualquiera que jurare por el templo es nada; mas cualquiera que jurare por el oro del templo, deudor es.
17 ¡Insensatos y ciegos! porque ¿cuál es mayor, el oro, ó el templo que santifica al oro?
18 Y: Cualquiera que jurare por el altar, es nada; mas cualquiera que jurare por el presente que está sobre él, deudor es.
19 ¡Necios y ciegos! porque, ¿cuál es mayor, el presente, ó el altar que santifica al presente?
20 Pues el que jurare por el altar, jura por él, y por todo lo que está sobre él;
21 Y el que jurare por el templo, jura por él, y por Aquél que habita en él;
22 Y el que jura por el cielo, jura por el trono de Dios, y por Aquél que está sentado sobre él.
23 ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! porque diezmáis la menta y el eneldo y el comino, y dejasteis lo que es lo más grave de la ley, es á saber, el juicio y la misericordia y la fe: esto era menester hacer, y no dejar lo otro.
24 ¡Guías ciegos, que coláis el mosquito, mas tragáis el camello!
25 ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! porque limpiáis lo que está de fuera del vaso y del plato; mas de dentro están llenos de robo y de injusticia.
26 ¡Fariseo ciego, limpia primero lo de dentro del vaso y del plato, para que también lo de fuera se haga limpio!
27 ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! porque sois semejantes á sepulcros blanqueados, que de fuera, á la verdad, se muestran hermosos, mas de dentro están llenos de huesos de muertos y de toda suciedad.
28 Así también vosotros de fuera, á la verdad, os mostráis justos á los hombres; mas de dentro, llenos estáis de hipocresía é iniquidad.
29 ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! porque edificáis los sepulcros de los profetas, y adornáis los monumentos de los justos,
30 Y decís: Si fuéramos en los días de nuestros padres, no hubiéramos sido sus compañeros en la sangre de los profetas.
31 Así que, testimonio dais á vosotros mismos, que sois hijos de aquellos que mataron á los profetas.
32 ¡Vosotros también henchid la medida de vuestros padres!
33 ¡Serpientes, generación de víboras! ¿cómo evitaréis el juicio del infierno?
34 Por tanto, he aquí, yo envío á vosotros profetas, y sabios, y escribas: y de ellos, á unos mataréis y crucificaréis, y á otros de ellos azotaréis en vuestras sinagogas, y perseguiréis de ciudad en ciudad:
35 Para que venga sobre vosotros toda la sangre justa que se ha derramado sobre la tierra, desde la sangre de Abel el justo, hasta la sangre de Zacarías, hijo de Barachîas, al cual matasteis entre el templo y el altar.
36 De cierto os digo que todo esto vendrá sobre esta generación.
37 ¡Jerusalem, Jerusalem, que matas á los profetas, y apedreas á los que son enviados á ti! ¡cuántas veces quise juntar tus hijos, como la gallina junta sus pollos debajo de las alas, y no quisiste!
38 He aquí vuestra casa os es dejada desierta.
39 Porque os digo que desde ahora no me veréis, hasta que digáis: Bendito el que viene en el nombre del Señor.
Matthew 23
New International Version
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)
Footnotes
- Matthew 23:5 That is, boxes containing Scripture verses, worn on forehead and arm
- Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
- Matthew 23:39 Psalm 118:26
Living Bible (TLB)
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
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Spanish Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition (SRV-BRG)
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New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.