Matthew 23:23-36

23“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give ⌞God⌟ one-tenth of your mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses’ Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others.

24You blind guides! You strain gnats ⌞out of your wine⌟, but you swallow camels.

25“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside they are full of greed and uncontrolled desires.

26You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cups and dishes so that the outside may also be clean.

27“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed graves that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity.

28So on the outside you look as though you have God’s approval, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who had God’s approval.

30Then you say, ‘If we had lived at the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped to murder the prophets.’

31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

32Go ahead, finish what your ancestors started!

33“You snakes! You poisonous snakes! How can you escape being condemned to hell?

34I’m sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers of the Scriptures. You will kill and crucify some of them. Others you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from city to city.

35As a result, you will be held accountable for all the innocent blood of those murdered on earth. This includes the murder of Abel, who had God’s approval, to that of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

36I can guarantee this truth: The people living now will be held accountable for all these things.