1 T hen Jesus said to the multitudes and to His disciples,

Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples,

2 T he scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.

saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat:

3 S o observe and practice all they tell you; but do not do what they do, for they preach, but do not practice.

all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.

4 T hey tie up heavy loads, hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help bear them.

Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

5 T hey do all their works to be seen of men; for they make wide their phylacteries ( small cases enclosing certain Scripture passages, worn during prayer on the left arm and forehead) and make long their fringes.

But all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

6 A nd they take pleasure in and love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues,

and love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7 A nd to be greeted with honor in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi.

and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi.

8 B ut you are not to be called rabbi (teacher), for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.

9 A nd do not call anyone on earth father, for you have one Father, Who is in heaven.

And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven.

10 A nd you must not be called masters (leaders), for you have one Master (Leader), the Christ.

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even the Christ.

11 H e who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 W hoever exalts himself '> with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low), and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.

13 B ut woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do so.

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter.

14 W oe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you swallow up widows’ houses and for a pretense to cover it up make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation and the heavier sentence.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, even while for a pretence ye make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive greater condemnation.

15 W oe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him doubly as much a child of hell (Gehenna) as you are.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.

16 W oe to you, blind guides, who say, If anyone swears by the sanctuary of the temple, it is nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the sanctuary, he is a debtor.

Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.

17 Y ou blind fools! For which is greater: the gold, or the sanctuary of the temple that has made the gold sacred?

Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold?

18 Y ou say too, Whoever swears by the altar is not duty bound; but whoever swears by the offering on the altar, his oath is binding.

And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor.

19 Y ou blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar which makes the gift sacred?

Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20 S o whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 A nd he who swears by the sanctuary of the temple swears by it and by Him Who dwells in it.

And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22 A nd whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him Who sits upon it.

And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23 W oe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you give a tenth of your mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected and omitted the weightier (more important) matters of the Law—right and justice and mercy and fidelity. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.

24 Y ou blind guides, filtering out a gnat and gulping down a camel!

Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!

25 W oe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess.

26 Y ou blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may be clean also.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also.

27 W oe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 J ust so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity.

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29 W oe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous,

30 S aying, If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have aided them in shedding the blood of the prophets.

and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 T hus you are testifying against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.

32 F ill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ sins to the brim '> that nothing may be wanting to a full measure].

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 Y ou serpents! You spawn of vipers! How can you escape the penalty to be suffered in hell (Gehenna)?

Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?

34 B ecause of this, take notice: I am sending you prophets and wise men (interpreters and teachers) and scribes (men learned in the Mosaic Law and the Prophets); some of them you will kill, even crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue and persecute from town to town,

Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:

35 S o that upon your heads may come all the blood of the righteous ( those who correspond to the divine standard of right) shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar.

36 T ruly I declare to you, all these '> evil, calamitous times] will come upon this generation.

Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murdering the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a mother fowl gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused!

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38 B ehold, your house is forsaken and desolate (abandoned and left destitute of God’s help).

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 F or I declare to you, you will not see Me again until you say, Blessed (magnified in worship, adored, and exalted) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.