Eight Woes

13 (A)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, (B)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.[a]

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one [b](C)proselyte; and when he becomes one, you [c]make him twice as much a son of [d](D)hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, (E)blind guides, who say, ‘(F)Whoever swears by the [e]temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [f]temple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! (G)Which is [g]more important, the gold or the [h]temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the [i]offering that is on it is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, (H)which is [j]more important, the [k]offering or the altar that sanctifies the [l]offering? 20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by [m]the altar and by everything on it. 21 And the one who swears by the [n]temple, swears both by [o]the temple and by Him who (I)dwells in it. 22 And the one who swears by [p]heaven, (J)swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23 (K)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [q]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 (L)blind guides, who [r]strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (M)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 (N)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the [t]outside of it may also become clean.

27 (O)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 (P)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 (Q)are [u]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 [v]Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You snakes, (R)you [w]offspring of vipers, how [x]will you escape the [y]sentence of [z](S)hell?

34 (T)Therefore, behold, (U)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will (V)flog in your synagogues, and (W)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 (X)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the (Y)son of Berechiah, whom (Z)you murdered between the [aa]temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon (AA)this generation.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 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
  2. Matthew 23:15 Or convert
  3. Matthew 23:15 I.e., doom him to hell
  4. Matthew 23:15 Gr Gehenna
  5. Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
  6. Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary
  7. Matthew 23:17 Lit greater
  8. Matthew 23:17 Or sanctuary
  9. Matthew 23:18 Or gift
  10. Matthew 23:19 Lit greater
  11. Matthew 23:19 Or gift
  12. Matthew 23:19 Or gift
  13. Matthew 23:20 Lit it
  14. Matthew 23:21 Or sanctuary
  15. Matthew 23:21 Lit it
  16. Matthew 23:22 I.e., an indirect reference to God
  17. Matthew 23:23 Similar to caraway seeds
  18. Matthew 23:24 Or filter out
  19. Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of
  20. 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)
  21. Matthew 23:31 Or descendants
  22. Matthew 23:32 I.e., finish what they started
  23. Matthew 23:33 Or brood
  24. Matthew 23:33 Lit are you to escape
  25. Matthew 23:33 Or judgment
  26. Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna
  27. Matthew 23:35 Or sanctuary

13  But de woe ouai to you hymeis, scribes grammateus and kai Pharisees Pharisaios, hypocrites hypokritēs, because hoti you shut kleiō the ho kingdom basileia of ho heaven ouranos in men’ s anthrōpos faces emprosthen. · ho For gar you hymeis neither ou enter eiserchomai yourselves nor oude allow aphiēmi those ho who would enter eiserchomai to go eiserchomai in .

15  Woe ouai to you hymeis, scribes grammateus and kai Pharisees Pharisaios, hypocrites hypokritēs, because hoti you travel periagō over · ho sea thalassa and kai · ho land xēros to gain poieō a single heis convert prosēlytos; and kai when hotan he becomes ginomai one, you make poieō him autos twice as much diplous a son hyios of hell geenna as diplous yourselves hymeis.

16  Woe ouai to you hymeis, blind typhlos guides hodēgos who ho say legō, ‘ If someone hos an swears omnyō by en the ho temple naos it means eimi nothing oudeis; but de if someone hos swears omnyō by en the ho gold chrysos of the ho temple naos, he is bound opheilō by his oath.’ 17 You fools mōros and kai blind typhlos men ! For gar which tis is eimi greater megas, the ho gold chrysos or ē the ho temple naos that ho makes the ho gold chrysos sacred hagiazō? 18 And kai you say, ‘ If someone hos an swears omnyō by en the ho altar thusiastērion it means eimi nothing oudeis; but de if someone hos swears omnyō by en the ho gift dōron that ho is on epanō it autos, he is bound opheilō by his oath.’ 19 How blind typhlos you are! For gar which tis is greater megas, the ho gift dōron or ē the ho altar thusiastērion that ho makes the ho gift dōron sacred hagiazō? 20 So oun the ho one who swears omnyō by en the ho altar thusiastērion, swears omnyō not only by en it autos but kai by en everything pas · ho on epanō it autos. 21 And kai the ho one who swears omnyō by en the ho temple naos, swears omnyō not only by en it autos but kai by en the ho one who dwells katoikeō there autos. 22 And kai the ho one who swears omnyō by en · ho heaven ouranos, swears omnyō not only by en the ho throne thronos of ho God theos but kai by en the ho one who sits kathēmai on epanō it autos.

23  Woe ouai to you hymeis, scribes grammateus and kai Pharisees Pharisaios, hypocrites hypokritēs, because hoti you tithe apodekatoō · ho mint hēdyosmon and kai · ho dill anēthon and kai · ho cumin kyminon, and kai have neglected aphiēmi the ho weightier barys matters of the ho law nomos: · ho justice krisis and kai · ho mercy eleos and kai · ho faithfulness pistis. These houtos · de you ought dei to have done poieō without neglecting aphiēmi the former kakeinos. 24 You blind typhlos guides hodēgos! · ho You strain diylizō out the ho gnat kōnōps but de gulp down katapinō the ho camel kamēlos!

25  Woe ouai to you hymeis, scribes grammateus and kai Pharisees Pharisaios, hypocrites hypokritēs, because hoti you clean katharizō off the ho outside exōthen of the ho cup potērion and kai the ho plate paropsis while de inside esōthen they are full gemō of ek greed harpagē and kai self-indulgence akrasia. 26 You blind typhlos Pharisee Pharisaios! First prōton clean katharizō the ho inside entos of the ho cup potērion, so hina that its autos outside ektos may become ginomai clean katharos too kai. · ho

27  Woe ouai to you hymeis, scribes grammateus and kai Pharisees Pharisaios, hypocrites hypokritēs, because hoti you are like paromoiazō whitewashed koniaō tombs taphos that hostis look phainō beautiful hōraios on the outside exōthen but de on the inside esōthen are full gemō of dead men’ s nekros bones osteon and kai all pas kinds of filth akatharsia. 28 So houtōs you hymeis also kai outwardly exōthen appear phainō to ho others anthrōpos as righteous dikaios but de within esōthen you are eimi full mestos of hypocrisy hypokrisis and kai lawlessness anomia.

29  Woe ouai to you hymeis, scribes grammateus and kai Pharisees Pharisaios, hypocrites hypokritēs, because hoti you build oikodomeō the ho tombs taphos of the ho prophets prophētēs and kai decorate kosmeō the ho graves mnēmeion of the ho righteous dikaios, 30 and kai you say legō, ‘ If ei we had lived eimi in en the ho days hēmera of ho our hēmeis fathers patēr, we would an not ou have eimi taken part with koinōnos them autos in en shedding the ho blood haima of the ho prophets prophētēs.’ 31 By hōste saying this you testify martyreō against yourselves heautou that hoti you are eimi descendants hyios of those ho who murdered phoneuō the ho prophets prophētēs. 32 Fill plēroō up then kai the ho measure metron of ho your hymeis fathers’ patēr guilt. 33 You snakes ophis! You brood gennēma of vipers echidna! How pōs will you escape pheugō from apo · ho being condemned krisis to · ho hell geenna? 34 Therefore dia houtos I egō am sending apostellō you hymeis prophets prophētēs and kai wise sophos men and kai scribes grammateus, some of ek whom autos you will kill apokteinō and kai crucify stauroō, and kai some ek of whom autos you will flog mastigoō in en · ho your hymeis synagogues synagōgē and kai pursue diōkō from apo town polis to eis town polis, 35 so hopōs that upon epi you hymeis will come erchomai all pas the righteous dikaios blood haima shed ekchunnomai on epi · ho earth , from apo the ho blood haima of righteous dikaios Abel Habel · ho to heōs the ho blood haima of Zechariah Zacharias son hyios of Barachiah Barachias, whom hos you murdered phoneuō between metaxy the ho sanctuary naos and kai the ho altar thusiastērion. 36 I tell legō you hymeis the truth amēn, all pas these things houtos will come hēkō upon epi · ho this houtos generation genea.

Read full chapter