Matthew 23

¹ Then addressing the crowds and his disciples Jesus said,

² 'The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses.

³ You must therefore do and observe what they tell you; but do not be guided by what they do, sincethey do not practise what they preach.

⁴ They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders, but wil they lift a finger to move them?Not they!

⁵ Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader headbands and longer tassels,

⁶ like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues,

⁷ being greeted respectful y in the market squares and having people cal them Rabbi.

⁸ 'You, however, must not al ow yourselves to be cal ed Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and youare al brothers.

⁹ You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.

¹⁰ Nor must you al ow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.

¹¹ The greatest among you must be your servant.

¹² Anyone who raises himself up wil be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself wil be raised up.

¹³ 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut up the kingdom of Heaven in people'sfaces, neither going in yourselves nor al owing others to go who want to.

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¹⁵ 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make a singleproselyte, and anyone who becomes one you make twice as fit for hel as you are.

¹⁶ 'Alas for you, blind guides! You say, "If anyone swears by the Temple, it has no force; but anyonewho swears by the gold of the Temple is bound."

¹⁷ Fools and blind! For which is of greater value, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?

¹⁸ Again, "If anyone swears by the altar it has no force; but anyone who swears by the offering on thealtar, is bound."

¹⁹ You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred?

²⁰ Therefore, someone who swears by the altar is swearing by that and by everything on it.

²¹ And someone who swears by the Temple is swearing by that and by the One who dwel s in it.

²² And someone who swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seatedthere.

²³ 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumminand have neglected the weightier matters of the Law-justice, mercy, good faith! These you should havepractised, those not neglected.

²⁴ You blind guides, straining out gnats and swal owing camels!

²⁵ 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of cup and dish and leavethe inside full of extortion and intemperance.

²⁶ Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that it and the outside are both clean.

²⁷ 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that lookhandsome on the outside, but inside are ful of the bones of the dead and every kind of corruption.

²⁸ In just the same way, from the outside you look upright, but inside you are ful of hypocrisy andlawlessness.

²⁹ 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the sepulchres of the prophets anddecorate the tombs of the upright,

³⁰ saying, "We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in ourancestors' day."

³¹ So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the children of those who murdered the prophets!

³² Very well then, finish off the work that your ancestors began.

³³ 'You serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape being condemned to hell?

³⁴ This is why -- look -- I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some you will slaughterand crucify, some you wil scourge in your synagogues and hunt from town to town;

³⁵ and so you wil draw down on yourselves the blood of every upright person that has been shed onearth, from the blood of Abel the holy to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah whom you murdered betweenthe sanctuary and the altar.

³⁶ In truth I tel you, it wil al recoil on this generation.

³⁷ 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How oftenhave I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused!

³⁸ Look! Your house wil be deserted,

³⁹ for, I promise, you shal not see me any more until you are saying: Blessed is he who is coming in thename of the Lord!'