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 3make him twice as much a son of 45hell as yourselves.

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

23“24Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and 25cumin, 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 26blind guides, who 27strain 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 31outside of it may also become clean.

27“32Woe 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“33Woe 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 34are 35sons of those who murdered the prophets. 3236Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33You snakes, 37you 38offspring of vipers, how 39will you escape the 40sentence of 4142hell?

34“43Therefore, behold, 44I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will 45flog in your synagogues, and 46persecute 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 47Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the 48son of Berechiah, whom 49you murdered between the 50temple and the altar. 36Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon 51this generation.

37“52Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who 53kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, 54the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38Behold, 55your house is being left to you desolate! 39For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘56Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”