Matthew 23:8-39

8But as for you, 1do not be called 23Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. 9And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only 4One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10And do not be called 5leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 116But the greatest of 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 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.10

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one 1112proselyte; and when he becomes one, you 13make him twice as much a son of 1415hell as yourselves.

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

23“34Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and 35cumin, 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 36blind guides, who 37strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 38you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full 39of robbery and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee, first 40clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the 41outside of it may also become clean.

27“42Woe 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“43Woe 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 44are 45sons of those who murdered the prophets. 3246Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33You snakes, 47you 48offspring 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 55flog in your synagogues, and 56persecute 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 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 have been 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 the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”