Matthew 23

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,	1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds, and to his disciples,
2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.	2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down in the chair of Moses.
3 Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.	3 Therefore, all things whatsoever that they shall say to you, observe and do. Yet truly, do not choose to act according to their works. For they say, but they do not do.
4 They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.	4 For they bind up heavy and unbearable burdens, and they impose them on men’s shoulders. But they are not willing to move them with even a finger of their own.
5 All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.	5 Truly, they do all their works so that they may be seen by men. For they enlarge their phylacteries and glorify their hems.
6 They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,	6 And they love the first places at feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues,
7 greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'	7 and greetings in the marketplace, and to be called Master by men.
8 As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.	8 But you must not be called Master. For One is your Master, and you are all brothers.
9 Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.	9 And do not choose to call anyone on earth your father. For One is your Father, who is in heaven.
10 Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah.	10 Neither should you be called teachers. For One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you must be your servant.	11 Whoever is greater among you shall be your minister.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.	12 But whoever has exalted himself, shall be humbled. And whoever has humbled himself, shall be exalted.
13 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.	13 So then: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you close the kingdom of heaven before men. For you yourselves do not enter, and those who are entering, you would not permit to enter.
14 )	14 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you consume the houses of widows, praying long prayers. Because of this, you shall receive the greater judgment.
15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.	15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and by land, in order to make one convert. And when he has been converted, you make him twice the son of Hell that you are yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'	16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say: ‘Whoever will have sworn by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever will have sworn by the gold of the temple is obligated.’
17 Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?	17 You are foolish and blind! For which is greater: the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18 And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'	18 And you say: ‘Whoever will have sworn by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever will have sworn by the gift that is on the altar is obligated.’
19 You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?	19 How blind you are! For which is greater: the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20 One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;	20 Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all that is on it.
21 one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;	21 And whoever will have sworn by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it.
22 one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.	22 And whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it.
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. (But) these you should have done, without neglecting the others.	23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you collect tithes on mint and dill and cumin, but you have abandoned the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, while not omitting the others.
24 Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!	24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat, while swallowing a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.	25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you clean what is outside the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of avarice and impurity.
26 Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.	26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, and then what is outside becomes clean.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.	27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed sepulchers, which outwardly appear brilliant to men, yet truly, inside, they are filled with the bones of the dead and with all filth.
28 Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.	28 So also, you certainly appear to men outwardly to be just. But inwardly you are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,	29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, who build the sepulchers of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the just.
30 and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'	30 And then you say, ‘If we had been there in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31 Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;	31 And so you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets.
32 now fill up what your ancestors measured out!	32 Complete, then, the measure of your fathers.
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna?	33 You serpents, you brood of vipers! How will you escape from the judgment of Hell?
34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,	34 For this reason, behold, I send to you prophets and wisemen, and scribes. And some of these you will put to death and crucify; and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
35 so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.	35 so that upon you may fall all the blood of the just, which has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.
36 Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.	36 Amen I say to you, all these things shall fall upon this generation.
37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!	37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone those who have been sent to you. How often I have wanted to gather your children together, in the way that a hen gathers her young under her wings. But you were not willing!
38 Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate.	38 Behold, your house shall be abandoned to you, having been deserted.
39 I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"	39 For I say to you, you shall not see me again, until you say: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”