Matthew 23
Hypocrisy Exposed
1 aThen Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “ bThe scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and ▼▼Lit keep all
comply with it all, but do not do ▼▼Lit according to their deeds
as they do; for they say things and do not do them. 4 And ethey tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. 5 And they do all their deeds fto be noticed by other people; for they gbroaden their ▼▼I.e., small pouches containing Scripture texts, worn on the left forearm and forehead for religious purposes
phylacteries and lengthen ithe tassels of their garments. 6 And they jlove the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, 7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ▼▼In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
lRabbi by the people. 8 But as for you, mdo not be called ▼▼In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
oRabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only pOne is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called ▼▼Or teachers
leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 rBut the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12 sWhoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Eight Woes
13 “ tBut woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, ubecause you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. ▼▼Late mss add (traditionally v 14): Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses even while for appearances’ sake you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation (as v 14); cf. Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47
14– 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one ▼▼Or convert
xproselyte; and when he becomes one, you ▼▼I.e., doom him to hell
make him twice as much a son of ▼▼Gr Gehenna
aahell as yourselves. 16 “Woe to you, abblind guides, who say, ‘ acWhoever swears by the ▼▼Or sanctuary
temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the ▼▼Or sanctuary
temple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! afWhich is ▼▼Lit greater
more important, the gold or the ▼▼Or sanctuary
temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the ▼▼Or gift
offering that is on it is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, ajwhich is ▼▼Lit greater
more important, the ▼▼Or gift
offering or the altar that sanctifies the ▼▼Or gift
offering? 20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by ▼▼Lit it
the altar and by everything on it. 21 And the one who swears by the ▼▼Or sanctuary
temple, swears both by ▼▼Lit it
the temple and by Him who aqdwells in it. 22 And the one who swears by ▼▼I.e., an indirect reference to God
heaven, asswears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. 23 “ atWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and ▼▼Similar to caraway seeds
cumin, 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 avblind guides, who ▼▼Or filter out
strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For axyou clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full ▼▼Or as a result of
of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first azclean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the ▼▼If the inside was ritually unclean, the entire vessel was unclean whether the outside was cleaned or not (cf. Num 19:15)
outside of it may also become clean. 27 “ bbWoe 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 people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “ bcWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and you 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 bdare ▼▼Or descendants
sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ▼▼I.e., finish what they started
Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You snakes, bgyou ▼▼Or brood
offspring of vipers, how ▼▼Lit are you to escape
will you escape the ▼▼Or judgment
sentence of ▼▼Gr Gehenna
blhell? 34 “ bmTherefore, behold, bnI am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will boflog in your synagogues, and bppersecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous bqAbel to the blood of Zechariah, the brson of Berechiah, whom bsyou murdered between the ▼▼Or sanctuary
temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon buthis generation. Grieving over Jerusalem
37 “ bvJerusalem, Jerusalem, who bwkills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, bxthe way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, byyour house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘ bzBlessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
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