Matthew 23:13-35

13“1But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 2because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.3

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one 45proselyte; and when he becomes one, you 6make him twice as much a son of 78hell as yourselves.

16“Woe to you, 9blind guides, who say, ‘10Whoever swears by the 11temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the 12temple is obligated.’ 17You fools and blind men! 13Which is 14more important, the gold or the 15temple that sanctified the gold? 18And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the 16offering that is on it is obligated.’ 19You blind men, 17which is 18more important, the 19offering or the altar that sanctifies the 20offering? 20Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by 21the altar and by everything on it. 21And the one who swears by the 22temple, swears both by 23the temple and by Him who 24dwells in it. 22And the one who swears by 25heaven, 26swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

23“27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and 28cumin, 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 29blind guides, who 30strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 31you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full 32of robbery and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee, first 33clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the 34outside of it may also become clean.

27“35Woe 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 people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29“36Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30and you 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 37are 38sons of those who murdered the prophets. 3239Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33You snakes, 40you 41offspring 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 48flog in your synagogues, and 49persecute from city to city, 35so that upon you will 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.