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Matthew 23
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1Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples,
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
2saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat:
2saying, "The religious scholars and the Pharisees have the authority to explain the Law of Moses.
3all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.
3So you should obey and follow everything they tell you, but do not do what they do, because they do not practice what they preach.
4Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
4They tie up heavy, impossible loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they won't lift a single finger to help carry them.
5But all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
5Everything they do is done just to be seen by others. They wear extra-wide prayer boxes on their foreheads and arms, and they make the tassels on their robes extra long.
6and love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
6They love receiving the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues.
7and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi.
7They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them 'Rabbi.'
8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.
8But you should not be called 'Rabbi,' because you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.
9And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven.
9And do not call anyone on earth 'Father,' because you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.
10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even the Christ.
10Do not let yourselves be called 'Masters,' because you move only one Master, the Messiah.
11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
11The greatest person among you will be your servant.
12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.
12Anyone who honors himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be honored.
13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter.
13Woe to you, religious scholars and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces. You yourselves don't go in, and you stop those who are trying to enter.
15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.
15Woe to you, religious scholars and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win one convert, and when you do, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
16Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If someone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if someone swears by the gold in the temple, they are bound by that oath.'
17Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold?
17You blind fools! Which is more important: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold holy?
18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor.
18You also say, 'If someone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if someone swears by the gift on the altar, they are bound by that oath.'
19Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
19You are blind! Which is more important: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy?
20He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
20Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
21And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who lives in it.
22And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
22And anyone who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the One who sits on it.
23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.
23Woe to you, religious scholars and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of even your smallest spices—like mint, dill, and cumin—but you have ignored the more important parts of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced these without ignoring the others.
24Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!
24You blind guides! You strain a tiny gnat out of your drink, but you swallow a whole camel!
25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess.
25Woe to you, religious scholars and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but on the inside they are full of greed and selfishness.
26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also.
26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will be clean too.
27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
27Woe to you, religious scholars and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
28In the same way, you appear righteous to people on the outside, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous,
29Woe to you, religious scholars and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the godly.
30and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have helped them murder the prophets.'
31Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.
31By saying this, you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
32Go ahead, then, and finish what your ancestors started!
33Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?
33You snakes! You bunch of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
34Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:
34Therefore, I am sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will whip in your synagogues and chase from town to town.
35that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar.
35As a result, you will be held responsible for all the innocent blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple sanctuary and the altar.
36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
36I tell you the truth, all these things will happen to the people of this generation.
37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!