Chapter 23

Pharisaism Exposed

1 aThen Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,

2 saying: “aThe scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;

3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.

4 “aThey tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

5 “But they do all their deeds ato be noticed by men; for they bbroaden their 1phylacteries and lengthen cthe tassels of their garments.

6 “They alove the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called aRabbi by men.

8 “But ado not be called bRabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

9 “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for aOne is your Father, He who is in heaven.

10 “Do not be called 1leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.

11 “aBut the greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 “aWhoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Eight Woes

13 “aBut woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, bbecause you shut off the kingdom of heaven 1from 2people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

14 [“1Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ayou devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one 1aproselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of 2bhell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, ablind guides, who say, ‘bWhoever swears by the 1temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the 1temple is obligated.’

17 “You fools and blind men! aWhich is 1more important, the gold or the 2temple that sanctified the gold?

18 “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the 1offering on it, he is obligated.’

19 “You blind men, awhich is 1more important, the 2offering, or the altar that sanctifies the 2offering?

20 “Therefore, 1whoever swears by the altar, swears both by 2the altar and by everything on it.

21 “And 1whoever swears by the 2temple, swears both by 3the temple and by Him who adwells within it.

22 “And 1whoever swears by heaven, aswears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23 “aWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and 1cummin, 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 ablind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ayou clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full 1of robbery and self-indulgence.

26 “You blind Pharisee, first aclean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27 “aWoe 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 men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “aWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

30 and 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 aare 1sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.

33 “You serpents, ayou brood of vipers, how 1will you escape the 2sentence of 3bhell?

34 “aTherefore, behold, bI am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will cscourge in your synagogues, and dpersecute from city to city,

35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous aAbel to the blood of Zechariah, the bson of Berechiah, whom cyou murdered between the 1temple and the altar.

36 “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon athis generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 “aJerusalem, Jerusalem, who bkills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, cthe way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

38 “Behold, ayour house is being left to you desolate!

39 “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘aBlessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”