23 Then spoke Jesus to the multitude and to His disciples,

² saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

³ All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do ye not according to their works; for they say, and do not.

⁴ For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, 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 be seen by men. They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

⁶ and love the uppermost places at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues,

⁷ and greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

⁸ But be not ye called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

⁹ “And call no man your father upon earth, for One is your Father, who is in Heaven.

¹⁰ Neither be ye called masters, for One is your Master, even Christ.

¹¹ But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

¹³ “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men, for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

¹⁴ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

¹⁵ “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’

¹⁷ Ye fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

¹⁸ And ye say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is liable.’

¹⁹ Ye fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

²⁰ Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things thereon.

²¹ And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it and by Him that dwelleth therein.

²² And he that shall swear by Heaven, sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon.

²³ “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone.

²⁴ Ye blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

²⁷ “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but are within full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness.

²⁸ Even so, ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

²⁹ “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,

³⁰ and say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

³¹ Therefore ye are witnesses against yourselves, that ye are the children of them that killed the prophets.

³² Fill ye up, then, the measure of your fathers.

³³ “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers! How can ye escape the damnation of hell?

³⁴ Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city,

³⁵ that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

³⁶ Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

³⁸ Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

³⁹ For I say unto you, ye shall not see Me henceforth till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!’”

20 And it came to pass that on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the Gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon Him with the elders

² and spoke unto Him, saying, “Tell us by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that gave thee this authority?

³ And He answered and said unto them, “I will also ask you one thing, and answer Me:

⁴ The baptism of John — was it from Heaven, or of men?”

⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we shall say ‘From Heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then have ye not believed him?’

⁶ But if we say, ‘Of men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

⁷ And they answered that they could not tell from whence it was.

⁸ And Jesus said unto them, “Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.”

⁹ Then He began to speak to the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

¹⁰ And at the season, he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard; but the husbandmen beat him and sent him away empty.

¹¹ And again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

¹² And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.

¹³ Then said the lord of the vineyard, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will reverence him when they see him.’

¹⁴ But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’

¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

¹⁶ He shall come and destroy these husbandmen and shall give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “God forbid!”

¹⁷ And He beheld them and said, “What is this then that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner’?

¹⁸ Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes that same hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people; for they perceived that He had spoken this parable against them.

²⁰ And they watched Him and sent forth spies, who should feign themselves to be just men, that they might take hold of His words and so they might deliver Him unto the power and authority of the governor.

²¹ And they asked Him, saying, “Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly.

²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or no?”

²³ But He perceived their craftiness and said unto them, “Why tempt ye Me?

²⁴ Show Me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it?” They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵ And He said unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things which are God’s.”

²⁶ And they could not take hold of His words before the people. And they marveled at His answer and held their peace.

²⁷ Then came to Him certain of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection, and they asked Him,

²⁸ saying, “Master, Moses wrote unto us that if any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up seed unto his brother.

²⁹ There were therefore seven brethren, and the first took a wife and died without children.

³⁰ And the second took her as wife, and he died childless.

³¹ And the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died.

³² Last of all the woman died also.

³³ Therefore, in the resurrection whose wife is she, for seven had her as wife?”

³⁴ And Jesus answering said unto them, “The children of this world marry and are given in marriage.

³⁵ But they that shall be accounted worthy to obtain that World and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage,

³⁶ neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

³⁷ Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’

³⁸ For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living, for all live unto Him.”

³⁹ Then certain of the scribes answering said, “Master, thou hast said well.”

⁴⁰ And after that they dared not ask Him any question at all.

⁴¹ And He said unto them, “How say they that Christ is David’s son?

⁴² For David himself saith in the book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, “Sit Thou on My right hand,

⁴³ until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.”’

⁴⁴ If David therefore calleth Him ‘Lord,’ how is He then his son?”

⁴⁵ Then in the audience of all the people, He said unto His disciples,

⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes who desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

⁴⁷ who devour widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. The same shall receive greater damnation.”

21 And He looked up and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury,

² and He saw also a certain poor widow casting therein two mites.

³ And He said, “In truth I say unto you that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all.

⁴ For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God, but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”

⁵ And when some spoke of the temple and how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, He said,

⁶ “As for these things which ye behold, the days will come in which there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.”

⁷ And they asked Him, saying, “Master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?”

⁸ And He said, “Take heed that ye be not deceived, for many shall come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ,’ and, ‘the time draweth near.’ Go ye not therefore after them.

⁹ But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified, for these things must first come to pass. But the end is not at once.”

¹⁰ Then said He unto them, “Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,

¹¹ and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines and pestilences. And fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

¹² But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, and you will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.

¹³ And it shall turn to you to bear testimony.

¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate beforehand what ye shall answer.

¹⁵ For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

¹⁶ And ye shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren and kinsfolk and friends, and some of you they shall cause to be put to death.

¹⁷ And ye shall be hated by all men for My name’s sake.

¹⁸ But there shall not a hair of your head perish.

¹⁹ In your patience possess ye your souls.

²⁰ “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

²¹ Then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let them that are in the midst of it depart out, and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

²³ But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.

²⁴ And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

²⁵ “And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars; and upon the earth distress among nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring.

²⁶ Men’s hearts will fail them for fear and for looking upon those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

²⁷ And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸ And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.”

²⁹ And He spoke to them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees.

³⁰ When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

³¹ So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

³² Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

³³ Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.

³⁴ “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life, and so that Day come upon you unawares.

³⁵ For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

³⁶ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple; and at night He went out and stayed on the mount that is called the Mount of Olives.

³⁸ And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple to hear Him.