1 T hen Jesus talked to the many people and to His followers.

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

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

saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down in Moses’ seat;

3 D o 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.

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

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 E verything 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.

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

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

7 T hey 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.

and greetings in the markets and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

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

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

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

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

10 Y ou are not to be called leader. There is only one Leader and He is Christ.

Neither be ye called masters, for one is your Master, the Christ.

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

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

12 T he 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

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

13 “ 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.

¶ 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 I t 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.)

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 I t 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.

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 “ 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.’

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

Ye fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

18 Y ou 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.’

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

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

20 W hoever makes a promise by the altar, promises by it and by everything on it.

Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it and by all things thereon.

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

And whosoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him that dwells therein.

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

And he that shall swear by the heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him that sits thereon.

23 “ 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.

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

Ye blind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.

25 “ 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.

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 proud religious law-keepers! Clean the inside of the cup and plate, then the outside will 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 “ 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.

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 A s 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.

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

29 “ 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.

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

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

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

Therefore ye are witnesses unto yourselves that ye are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 Y ou might as well finish what your early fathers did.

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

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

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the judgment of hell?

34 “ 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.

¶ 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 B ecause 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.

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

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

37 “ 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.

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 S ee! Your house is empty.

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 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!’”

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.