23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,
23:2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.
23:3 Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and ①comply with it all, but do not do ②as they do; for they say things and do not do them.
▷ ①Lit keep all ②Lit according to their deeds
23:4 And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger.
23:5 And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their ①phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
▷ ①I.e., small pouches containing Scripture texts, worn on the left forearm and forehead for religious purposes
23:6 And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues,
23:7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ①Rabbi by the people.
▷ ①In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
23:8 But as for you, do not be called ①Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.
▷ ①In Heb “My Teacher” or “My Master”
23:9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
23:10 And do not be called ①leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
▷ ①Or teachers
23:11 But the greatest of you shall be your servant.
23:12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because 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. ①
▷ ①Late mss add (traditionally v 14): Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses even while for appearances’ sake you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation (as v 14); cf. Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47
23:14
23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one ①proselyte; and when he becomes one, you ②make him twice as much a son of ③hell as yourselves.
▷ ①Or convert ②I.e., doom him to hell ③Gr Gehenna
23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the ①temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the ②temple is obligated.’
▷ ①Or sanctuary ②Or sanctuary
23:17 You fools and blind men! Which is ①more important, the gold or the ②temple that sanctified the gold?
▷ ①Lit greater ②Or sanctuary
23:18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the ①offering that is on it is obligated.’
▷ ①Or gift
23:19 You blind men, which is ①more important, the ②offering or the altar that sanctifies the ③offering?
▷ ①Lit greater ②Or gift ③Or gift
23:20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by ①the altar and by everything on it.
▷ ①Lit it
23:21 And the one who swears by the ①temple, swears both by ②the temple and by Him who dwells in it.
▷ ①Or sanctuary ②Lit it
23:22 And the one who swears by ①heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
▷ ①I.e., an indirect reference to God
23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and ①cumin, 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.
▷ ①Similar to caraway seeds
23:24 You blind guides, who ①strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
▷ ①Or filter out
23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full ①of robbery and self-indulgence.
▷ ①Or as a result of
23:26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the ①outside of it may also become clean.
▷ ①If the inside was ritually unclean, the entire vessel was unclean whether the outside was cleaned or not (cf. Num 19:15)
23:27 “Woe 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.
23:28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
23:29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
23:30 and 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.’
23:31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are ①sons of those who murdered the prophets.
▷ ①Or descendants
23:32 ①Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.
▷ ①I.e., finish what they started
23:33 You snakes, you ①offspring of vipers, how ②will you escape the ③sentence of ④hell?
▷ ①Or brood ②Lit are you to escape ③Or judgment ④Gr Gehenna
23:34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,
23:35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the ①temple and the altar.
▷ ①Or sanctuary
23:36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
23:38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
23:39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’ ”