New Testament in a Year

^23 [a]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint and dill and cumin, but you have neglected the more important aspects of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced these without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides! You strain out a gnat and then swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of a cup and dish, but you leave the inside full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish so that the outside may also be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs^[b] that look beautiful on the outside, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of decay. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹ The Judgment of God Has Already Come on This Generation.^[c]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the tombs of the Prophets and adorn the graves of the righteous, ³⁰ and you say, ‘If we had lived in the time of our ancestors, we never would have collaborated with them in shedding the blood of the Prophets.’ ³¹ Thus, you acknowledge that you are the descendants of those who murdered the Prophets. ³² Go and complete the work that your ancestors began.

³³ “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to Gehenna? ³⁴ Behold, therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. ³⁵ As a result, upon you will fall the guilt of all the innocent blood that has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Amen, I say to you, the guilt for all this will fall upon this generation.

³⁷ The Lament over Jerusalem.^[d]“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you murder the Prophets and stone the messengers sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not allow it! ³⁸ Behold, your house has been abandoned and left desolate. ³⁹ I tell you, you will not see me again until you say: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”