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

Then Jesus talked to the many people and to His followers.

2 s aying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

He said, “The teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers have put themselves in Moses’ place as teachers.

3 T herefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

Do what they tell you to do and keep on doing it. But do not follow what they do. They preach but do not obey their own preaching.

4 F or they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

They make heavy loads and put them on the shoulders of men. But they will not help lift them with a finger.

5 B ut all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

Everything they do, they do to be seen of men. They have words from the Holy Writings written in large letters on their left arm and forehead and they make wide trimming for their clothes.

6 T hey love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

They like to have the important places at big suppers and the best seats in the Jewish places of worship.

7 g reetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

They like to have people show respect to them as they stand in the center of town where people gather. They like to be called teacher.

8 B ut you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

“But you are not to be called teacher. There is only one Teacher, and all of you are brothers.

9 D o not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

Do not call any man here on earth your father. There is only one Father and He is in heaven.

10 A nd do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

You are not to be called leader. There is only one Leader and He is Christ.

11 B ut he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

“He who is greatest among you will be the one to care for you.

12 A nd whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

The person who thinks he is important will find out how little he is worth. The person who is not trying to honor himself will be made important. Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keepers

13 “ But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

“It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You keep men from going into the holy nation of heaven. You are not going in yourselves, and you do not allow those to go in who are about to go in.

14 W oe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! (You take houses from poor women whose husbands have died. Then you try to cover it up by making long prayers. You will be punished all the more because of this.)

15 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You go over land and sea to win one follower. When you have him, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “ Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it. ’

“It is bad for you, blind leaders! You say, ‘Whoever makes a promise by the house of God, his promise is worth nothing. But whoever makes a promise by the gold of the house of God, then his promise has to be kept.’

17 F ools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

You fools and blind men! Which is greater, the gold or the house of God that makes the gold holy?

18 A nd, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it. ’

You say, ‘Whoever will promise by the altar, his promise does not have to be kept. But whoever makes a promise by the gift on the altar, then his promise has to be kept.’

19 F ools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

You fools and blind men! Which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy?

20 T herefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

Whoever makes a promise by the altar, promises by it and by everything on it.

21 H e who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

Whoever makes a promise by the house of God, promises by it and by Him Who is in it.

22 A nd he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

Whoever makes a promise by heaven, promises by the throne of God and by Him Who sits there.

23 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

“It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You give one-tenth part of your spices, and have not done the most important things of the Law, such as thinking what is right and wrong, and having pity and faith. These you should have done and still have done the other things also.

24 B lind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

You blind leaders, you take a small bug out of your cup but you swallow a camel!

25 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

“It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, but leave the inside full of strong bad desires and are not able to keep from doing sinful things.

26 B lind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

You blind proud religious law-keepers! Clean the inside of the cup and plate, then the outside will be clean also.

27 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

“It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You are like graves that have been made white and look beautiful on the outside. But inside you are full of the bones of dead men and of every sinful thing.

28 E ven so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

As men look at you, you seem to be good and right but inside you are full of sin. You pretend to be someone you are not.

29 “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

“It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You make buildings for the graves of the early preachers, and you make the graves beautiful of those who are right with God.

30 a nd say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

You say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our early fathers, we would not have helped kill the early preachers.’

31 “ Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

In this way, you are showing that you are the sons of those who killed the early preachers.

32 F ill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.

You might as well finish what your early fathers did.

33 S erpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

You snakes! You family of snakes! How can you be kept from hell?

34 T herefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

“Because of this, I am going to keep on sending to you men who speak for God and wise men and teachers of the Law. Some of them you will kill and nail to a cross. Some of them you will beat in your places of worship. You will make it very hard for them as they go from city to city.

35 t hat on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Because of this, you will be guilty of the blood of all those right with God on the earth. It will be from the blood of Abel who was right with God to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachias. He was the one you killed between the house of God and the altar.

36 A ssuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Jesus Laments over Jerusalem

For sure, I tell you, all these things will come on the people of this day. Jesus Sorrows Over Jerusalem

37 “ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the men who speak for God and throw stones at those who were sent to you. How many times I wanted to gather your children around Me, as a chicken gathers her young ones under her wings. But you would not let Me.

38 S ee! Your house is left to you desolate;

See! Your house is empty.

39 f or I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

I say to you, you will not see Me again until you will say, ‘Great is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!’”