Matthew 23:15-39

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one 12proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of 34hell as yourselves.

16“Woe to you, 5blind guides, who say, ‘6Whoever swears by the 7temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the 8temple is obligated.’ 17You fools and blind men! 9Which is 10more important, the gold or the 11temple that sanctified the gold? 18And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the 12offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19You blind men, 13which is 14more important, the 15offering, or the altar that sanctifies the 16offering? 20Therefore, 17whoever swears by the altar, swears both by 18the altar and by everything on it. 21And 19whoever swears by the 20temple, swears both by 21the temple and by Him who 22dwells within it. 22And 23whoever swears by heaven, 24swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23“25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and 26cummin, 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 27blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 28you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full 29of robbery and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee, first 30clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27“31Woe 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“32Woe 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 33are 34sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33You serpents, 35you brood of vipers, how 36will you escape the 37sentence of 3839hell?

34“40Therefore, behold, 41I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will 42scourge in your synagogues, and 43persecute 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 44Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the 45son of Berechiah, whom 46you murdered between the 47temple and the altar. 36Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon 48this generation.

37“49Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who 50kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, 51the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38Behold, 52your house is being left to you desolate! 39For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘53Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”