Matthew 23:7-39

7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called 1Rabbi by men. 8But 2do not be called 3Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9Do not call anyone on earth your father; for 4One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10Do not be called 5leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 116But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 127Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

13“8But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 9because you shut off the kingdom of heaven 10from 11people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14[12Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because 13you 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 1415proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of 1617hell as yourselves.

16“Woe to you, 18blind guides, who say, ‘19Whoever swears by the 20temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the 21temple is obligated.’ 17You fools and blind men! 22Which is 23more important, the gold or the 24temple that sanctified the gold? 18And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the 25offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19You blind men, 26which is 27more important, the 28offering, or the altar that sanctifies the 29offering? 20Therefore, 30whoever swears by the altar, swears both by 31the altar and by everything on it. 21And 32whoever swears by the 33temple, swears both by 34the temple and by Him who 35dwells within it. 22And 36whoever swears by heaven, 37swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23“38Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and 39cummin, 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 40blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 41you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full 42of robbery and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee, first 43clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

27“44Woe 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“45Woe 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 46are 47sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33You serpents, 48you brood of vipers, how 49will you escape the 50sentence of 5152hell?

34“53Therefore, behold, 54I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will 55scourge in your synagogues, and 56persecute 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 57Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the 58son of Berechiah, whom 59you murdered between the 60temple and the altar. 36Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon 61this generation.

37“62Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who 63kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, 64the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38Behold, 65your house is being left to you desolate! 39For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘66Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”