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The Gospel According to St. Matthew

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- Chapter 23 -

(Luke 11:37–54)
1
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:
2
“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3
So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4
They tie up heavy, burdensome loads (a) and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5
All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
6
They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,
7
the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.(b)
8
But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9
And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10
Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
11
The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.(c)
15
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell (d) as you are.
16
Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17
You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
18
And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
19
You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?
20
So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
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And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it.
22
And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.
23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
24
You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.(e)
25
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26
Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish,(f) so that the outside may become clean as well.
27
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.
28
In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
30
And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31
So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32
Fill up, then,(g) the measure of the sin of your fathers.
33
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
34
Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town.
35
And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36
Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

(Luke 13:31–35)
37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!
38
Look, your house is left to you desolate.(h)
39
For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’(i)”

Footnotes

(a)23:4 SBL, NE, and WH They tie up heavy loads
(b)23:7 Literally and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by men
(c)23:13 BYZ and TR include 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. See Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
(d)23:15 Greek Gehenna; also in verse 33
(e)23:24 See Leviticus 11:4 and Leviticus 11:23, where camels and gnats are both forbidden as food.
(f)23:26 NA does not include and dish.
(g)23:32 Or Go ahead, then, and complete
(h)23:38 NE and WH do not include desolate.
(i)23:39 Psalms 118:26
(Luke 11:37–54)
1
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,
2
saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.
3
All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.
4
For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.
5
But they do all their works to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries (a) broad and enlarge the fringes (b) of their garments,
6
and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
7
the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ (c) by men.
8
But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers.
9
Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.
10
Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ.
11
But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.
12
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
14
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter. (d)
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 a son of Gehenna (e) 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.’
17
You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18
And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated.’
19
You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20
He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it.
21
He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who has been living (f) in it.
22
He 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, (g) 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.
24
You 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 of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness. (h)
26
You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its 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 men’s bones and of all uncleanness.
28
Even 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,
30
and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31
Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets.
32
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
33
You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna? (i)
34
Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, 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,
35
that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.
36
Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

(Luke 13:31–35)
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!
38
Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
39
For 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!’” (j)

Footnotes

(a)23:5 phylacteries (tefillin in Hebrew) are small leather pouches that some Jewish men wear on their forehead and arm in prayer. They are used to carry a small scroll with some Scripture in it. See Deuteronomy 6:8 .
(b)23:5 or, tassels
(c)23:7 NU omits the second “Rabbi”.
(d)23:14 Some Greek texts reverse the order of verses 13 and 14, and some omit verse 13, numbering verse 14 as 13. NU omits verse 14.
(e)23:15 or, Hell
(f)23:21 NU reads “lives”
(g)23:23 cumin is an aromatic seed from Cuminum cyminum, resembling caraway in flavor and appearance. It is used as a spice.
(h)23:25 TR reads “self-indulgence” instead of “unrighteousness”
(i)23:33 or, Hell
(j)23:39 ℘ Psalms 118:26
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