Matthew 23:16–39

¹⁶“Woe to you, blind guides,^y who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the temple, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath^z by the gold of the temple is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? ¹⁸Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹Blind people!^G For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?^{aa 20}Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. ²¹The one who takes an oath by the temple takes an oath by it and by him who dwells^ab in it. ²²And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne^ac and by him who sits on it.^ad

²³“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of^H mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice,^ae mercy, and faithfulness.^I These things should have been done without neglecting the others. ²⁴Blind guides!^af You strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel!

²⁵“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed^A and self-indulgence.^{a 26}Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,^B so that the outside of it^C may also become clean.

²⁷“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,^b which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity. ²⁸In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, ³⁰and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ ³¹So you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³²Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors’ sins!^c

³³“Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?^{Dd 34}This is why I am sending you prophets,^e sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues^f and pursue from town to town. ³⁵So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you,^E from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah,^g son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.^{h 36}Truly I tell you, all these things will come on this generation.ⁱ

JESUS’S LAMENTING OVER JERUSALEM

³⁷“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,^j who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks^F under her wings, but you were not willing!^{k 38}See, your house is left to you desolate.^{l 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’!”^Gm