Matthew 23:1-33

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

1Then Jesus asaid to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 b“The scribes and the Pharisees csit on Mosesseat, 3so do and observe whatever they tell you, dbut not the works they do. eFor they preach, but do not practice. 4 fThey tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,
Some manuscripts omit  hard to bear
and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
5 hThey do all their deeds ito be seen by others. For they make jtheir phylacteries broad and ktheir fringes long, 6and they llove the place of honor at feasts and mthe best seats in the synagogues 7and ngreetings in othe marketplaces and being called prabbi
 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master; also verse 8
by others.
8 rBut you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are sall brothers.
Or  brothers and sisters
9 uAnd call no man your father on earth, for vyou have one Father, who is in heaven. 10Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, wthe Christ. 11 xThe greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 yWhoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13But woe zto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you aashut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you abneither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
Some manuscripts add here (or after verse 12) verse 14: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation
15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single adproselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a aechild of afhell
Greek Gehenna; also verse 33
as yourselves.


16Woe to ahyou, aiblind guides, who say, ajIf anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or akthe temple that has made the gold sacred? 18And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by althe gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or amthe altar that makes the gift sacred? 20So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by anhim who dwells in it. 22And whoever swears by aoheaven swears by apthe throne of God and by aqhim who sits upon it.

23 arWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For asyou tithe mint and dill and atcumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: aujustice and mercy and faithfulness. avThese you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing awa camel!

25 axWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ayyou clean the outside of azthe cup and the plate, but inside they are full of bagreed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of bbthe cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 bcWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like bdwhitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and beall uncleanness. 28So you also bfoutwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of bghypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 bhWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31Thus you witness against yourselves that you are bisons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 bjFill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33You serpents, bkyou brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to blhell?
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