Matthew 23
23
CHAPTIR TWENTY‐THRIE.
The desperate corruption oʼ the Pharisees. Jerusalem bewailed.
1Than spak Jesus to aʼ the folk, and till his disciples:
2“The Writers and the Pharisees are sutten doon in Mosesʼ seat.
3“Aʼ things tharfor they bid ye do, observe them. But follow‐na eftir their warks: for they say, and do‐na.
4“And they bind heavy burdens, and lay them on the shouthers oʼ men; but they winna move them wiʼ ae fingʼer.
5“For they mak braid their amulets and enlairge their tassels,
6“And seek for the first seats at feasts, and heid places iʼ the kirks,
7“And courtesie iʼ the merkits, and to be caʼd ‘Maister! Maister!’ oʼ men.
8“But be‐na ye caʼd ‘Maister;’ for ye hae ae Maister, Christ; and aʼ ye are brethren.
9“And caʼ nae man ‘Faither,’ on the yirth; for Ane is yere Faither — the Heevenlie.
10“Nor be ye caʼd ‘Leaders;’ for Ane is yere Leader, Christ.
11“But the ane wha is greatest amang ye sal be the ane that serʼs.
12“And whasae sal mak himsel heigh, sal be puʼd doon; and whasae sal abase himsel sal be upliftit.
13“But wae for ye, Scribes and Pharisees, pretenders! for ye steek up the Kingdom oʼ Heeven afore men wha wad gang in; ye naither gang in yersels, nor alloo them to gang in wha wad!
14“Wae for you, Scribes and Pharisees, pretenders! for ye devoor weedowsʼ hooses, eʼen while ye are makin lang prayers: sae sal ye hae the wechtier judgment!
15“Wae for you, Scribes and Pharisees, pretenders! for ye gang ower yirth and sea to bring in ae disciple; and whan he is sae become, ye mak him twafauld mair a son oʼ hell than yersels!
16“Wae for you, ye blinʼ leaders! whilk say, ‘Wha sal sweer by the Temple, it is nocht; but wha sweers by the Templeʼs gowd, he is hauden!’
17“O fules and blinʼ! Whilk is greater, the gowd, or the Temple that hallows the gowd?
18“And, ‘Wha sweers by the offeran‐stane, it is nocht; but wha sweers by the offeran onʼt, he is hauden!’
19“O blinʼ! For whilk is mair, the offeran, or the Altar‐stane that hallows the offeran?
20“Wha, tharfor, sweers by the offeran‐stane, sweers by it, and by aʼ things onʼt.
21“And wha sweers by the Temple, sweers by it, and by Him that dwalls within.
22“And wha sweers by Heeven, sweers by Godʼs thron, and by Him wha sits tharon.
23“Wae for you, Scribes and Pharisees, pretenders! for ye tithe mint, and dill, and cummin; and pit awa the wechtier things oʼ the Law, justice, mercie and faith. Thir ye behoved to do — no leavin the ither undune.
24“Ye blinʼ leaders! Ye seil oot the midge, and ower wiʼ the caumel!
25“Wae for you, Scribes and Pharisees, pretenders; for ye dicht the ootside oʼ the cup and the dish, but within they are fuʼ oʼ reivin and riot!
26“O blinʼ Pharisee! mak clean first the inside oʼ the cup and the dish, that the ootside oʼt may be made clean as weel!
27“Wae for you, Scribes and Pharisees, pretenders! for ye are like whited tombs, whilk look bonnie outside, but within are fuʼ oʼ deid menʼs banes, and aʼ uncleanness.
28“Eʼen sae, ye hae the ootward seemin oʼ being holie men, but within ye are fuʼ oʼ fauseness and sin.
29“Wae for you, Scribes and Pharisees, pretenders! for ye bigg the tombs oʼ the Prophets, and busk the graffs oʼ the gude.
30“And say, ‘Gif we had but been iʼ the days oʼ oor faithers, we wadna hae been ane wiʼ them anent the blude oʼ the Prophets!’
31“Sae ye are witnesses to yersels, that ye are bairns oʼ thae wha killed the Prophets.
32“And you! fill ye up the measur oʼ yere faithers!
33“Serpents! offspring oʼ vipers! hoo are ye to escape the judgment oʼ hell?
34“Tharfor, see! I send ye Prophets, and Wyss Men, and Scribes: some oʼ them wull ye slay and crucify, and some clour iʼ yere kirks, and persecute them frae toon tae toon:
35“That on ye may faʼ aʼ the holie blude shed on the earth, frae the blude oʼ Abel the richtous, to the blude of Zechariah, son oʼ Barachiah, that ye slew atween the Temple and the altar.
36“Truly say I tʼye, aʼ thir things sal come on this race!
37“Eh, Jerusalem! Jerusalem! wha slays the prophets and stanes the messengers sent to her!#23:37 This wail ower Jerusalem and her bairns is like the skreigh oʼ a mither ower her deid son! Its sough has followʼt us, aʼ doon the ages; and we canna get quat oʼt! Think‐ye‐na the Lord foresaw this, and kent hoo sic tenderness wad draw despairin anes till him? Hoo aft and fain would I hae gaitherʼt thy bairns thegither, like as a hen gaithers her cleckin aneath her wings! — and ye wadna.
38“See! yere hoose and hauld is left aʼ desolate tʼye!
39“For say I tʼye, ye see me nae mair frae this forrit, till whansaeʼer ye may say, ‘Blessed is he, cominʼ iʼ the name oʼ the Lord!’ ”
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Matthew 23: SCO1904
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Translated by Rev William Wye Smith. Published in Paisley, Scotland in 1904.
