Matthew 23
New Heart English Bible
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2saying, "Upon the seat of Moses the Pharisees and scribes sit. 3All which they will say unto you, observe and do; but their works do not do, because they say, and do not do. 4For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. 5But all their works they do to be seen by others. They make their tefillin broad and enlarge the fringe of their garments, 6and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi' by people. 8But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for one is your Teacher, and all of you are brothers. 9Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. 10Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. 11But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you devour the houses of widows, and for show make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 14"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you shut up the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.

15"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of hell as yourselves.

16"Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.' 17You blind fools. For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?' 19You blind people. For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. 21He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. 22He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.

23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. 24You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but within they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside may become clean also.

27"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead people's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, 30and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' 31Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of hell?

34Therefore, look, I send to you prophets, wise people, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; 35that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. 36Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

37"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her. How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not. 38Look, your house is abandoned to you. 39For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"



New Heart English Bible
Edited by Wayne A. Mitchell.
Public Domain 2008-2023


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