Matthew 23:13-39

13“1But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 2because you shut off the kingdom of heaven 3from 4people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14[5Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because 6you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one 78proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of 910hell as yourselves.

16“Woe to you, 11blind guides, who say, ‘12Whoever swears by the 13temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the 14temple is obligated.’ 17You fools and blind men! 15Which is 16more important, the gold or the 17temple that sanctified the gold? 18And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the 18offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19You blind men, 19which is 20more important, the 21offering, or the altar that sanctifies the 22offering? 20Therefore, 23whoever swears by the altar, swears both by 24the altar and by everything on it. 21And 25whoever swears by the 26temple, swears both by 27the temple and by Him who 28dwells within it. 22And 29whoever swears by heaven, 30swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23“31Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and 32cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24You 33blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 34you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full 35of robbery and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee, first 36clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27“37Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29“38Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31So you testify against yourselves, that you 39are 40sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33You serpents, 41you brood of vipers, how 42will you escape the 43sentence of 4445hell?

34“46Therefore, behold, 47I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will 48scourge in your synagogues, and 49persecute from city to city, 35so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous 50Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the 51son of Berechiah, whom 52you murdered between the 53temple and the altar. 36Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon 54this generation.

37“55Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who 56kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, 57the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38Behold, 58your house is being left to you desolate! 39For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘59Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”