Psa 94:8, Isa 27:11, Jer 4:22, Mat 23:17-39 | ESV | STEP | Understand , O dullest of the people ! Fools , when will you be wise ?

11 When its boughs are dry, they are broken;
women come and make a fire of them.
^bFor this is a people without discernment;
therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them;
he who formed them will show them no favor.

Jeremiah 4:22

22 “For ^cmy people are foolish;
they know me not;
they are stupid children;
they have no understanding.
^dThey are ‘wise’—in doing evil!
But how to do good they know not.”

Matthew 23:17-39

17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^ethe temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^fthe gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^gthe altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^hhim who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by ⁱheaven swears by ^jthe throne of God and by ^khim who sits upon it.

23 ^l“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^myou tithe mint and dill and ⁿcumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^ojustice and mercy and faithfulness. ^pThese you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^qa camel!

25 ^r“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^syou clean the outside of ^tthe cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^ugreed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^vthe cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 ^w“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^xwhitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and ^yall uncleanness. 28 So you also ^zoutwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^aahypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 ^ab“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘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.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^acsons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ^adFill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, ^aeyou brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^afhell? 34 ^agTherefore ^ahI send you ^aiprophets and wise men and ^ajscribes, ^aksome of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^alsome you will ^amflog in your synagogues and ^anpersecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all ^aothe righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^apAbel to the blood of ^aqZechariah the son of Barachiah, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit the son of Barachiah} whom you murdered between ^asthe sanctuary and ^atthe altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, ^auall these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 ^av“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^awkills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^axgathered ^ayyour children together ^azas a hen gathers her brood ^baunder her wings, and ^bbyou were not willing! 38 See, ^bcyour house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^bd‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”