Matthew 23

23Then ^aspake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, ²Saying, ^bThe scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: ³All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for ^cthey say, and do not. ^4ccFor 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. ⁵But all their works they do ^dfor to be seen of men: they make broad ^etheir phylacteries, and enlarge ^fthe borders of their garments, ⁶And love ^gthe uppermost rooms at feasts, and ^hthe chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷And ^ghgreetings in the markets, and to be called of men, ⁱRabbi, Rabbi. ^8kBut be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your ^lMaster, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. ⁹And call ^mno man your father upon the earth: ⁿfor one is your Father, which is in heaven. ¹⁰Neither be ye called ^omasters: for one is your ^oMaster, even Christ. ¹¹But ^phe that is greatest among you shall be your ^qservant. ¹²And ^rwhosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

¹³But ^swoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^tfor 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.

¹⁴Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^ufor ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

¹⁵Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one ^xproselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of ^yhell than yourselves.

¹⁶Woe unto you, ^zye blind guides, which say, ^aWhosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! ¹⁷Ye ^bfools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or ^cthe temple that sanctifieth the gold? ¹⁸And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by ^dthe gift that is upon it, he is ^||guilty. ¹⁹Ye ^efools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or ^fthe altar that sanctifieth the gift? ²⁰Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. ²¹And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by ^ghim that dwelleth therein. ²²And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by ^hthe throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

²³ⁱWoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and ^†anise and cummin, and ^khave omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. ^24lYe blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow ^ma camel.

²⁵Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ⁿfor ye make clean the outside of the ^ocup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and ^pexcess. ²⁶Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the ^ocup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

^27qWoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto ^rwhited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of ^sall uncleanness. ²⁸Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

^29tWoe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and ^ugarnish the sepulchres of the righteous, ³⁰And 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. ³¹Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ^xye are the children of them which killed the prophets. ^32yFill ye up then the ^zmeasure of your fathers. ³³Ye serpents, ye ^ageneration of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of ^bhell?

^34cWherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and ^dscribes: and ^esome of them ye shall kill and crucify; and ^fsome of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and ^gpersecute them from city to city: ³⁵That ^hupon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous ⁱAbel unto the blood of ^kZacharias son of ^lBarachias, whom ye slew between the ^mtemple and the ⁿaltar. ³⁶Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

³⁷O ^oJerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that ^pkillest the prophets, and ^pstonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have ^qgathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens ^runder her wings, and ye would not! ³⁸Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. ³⁹For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, ^sBlessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.