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

¶ Then Jesus spoke to the multitude and to his disciples,

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

saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down in 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.

therefore, whatever they bid you to observe, observe it and do it, but do not act according to their works, for they say and do not do it.

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.

For they bind burdens that are heavy and grievous to bear and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

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 they do all their works that they may be seen of men: 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 first 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 greetings in the markets and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

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

But, as for you, desire not to be called Rabbi, for one is your Master, the Christ; and you are all brothers.

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

And call no one your father upon the earth, for one is your Father, who is in the heavens.

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, 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 he that 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! for ye shut up the kingdom of the heavens in front of men, for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye those that are entering to go in.

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 and for a pretence make long prayer; therefore, ye shall receive the greater judgment.

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 made, 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, who 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 sanctifies 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 swears 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 fools and blind, for which one is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

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

Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears 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 whosoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him that dwells therein.

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

And he that shall swear by the heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him that sits 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 pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted that which is more important of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith; these were expedient for ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

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

Ye blind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a 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 make clean the outside of the cup or of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and incontinence.

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 that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be 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 whitewashed sepulchres, who indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside 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 within 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! because ye build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the sepulchres 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 would 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.

Therefore ye are witnesses unto yourselves that ye are the sons of those who murdered 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 generation of vipers, how can 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, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues and persecute them 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 upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye murdered between the temple 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, thou that didst kill the prophets and stone those who are sent unto thee, how often I desired to gather thy children together, even as a hen gathers 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 from now on until ye shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.