Matthew 23

Religious Hypocrites Denounced

1Then # Mk 12:38-39; Lk 20:45-46 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: # Mt 10:42; 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1 2“The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. # Perhaps a special chair for teaching in synagogues, or a metaphorical phrase for teaching with Moses’ authority # Ezr 7:6,25; Neh 8:4 3Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, # Lit do according to their works because they don’t practice what they teach. # Mt 5:20; 15:3-9; Rm 2:17-23 4They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry # Other mss omit that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger # Lit lift with their finger to move them. # Lk 11:46; Ac 15:10; Gl 6:13 5They do everything # Lit do all their works to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries # Small leather boxes containing OT texts, worn by Jews on their arms and foreheads # Ex 13:9; Dt 6:8; 11:18; Mt 6:1,5,16 and lengthen their tassels. # Other mss add on their robes # Mt 9:20; 14:36; Mk 6:56; Lk 8:44 6They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, # Lk 11:43; 14:7; 20:46 7greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.

8“But as for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have one Teacher, # Other mss add the Messiah and you are all brothers. # Mk 9:5; 10:51; Jn 1:38,49; 11:8; Jms 3:1 9Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. # Mal 1:6; Mt 6:9; 7:11 10And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, # Or Teacher the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. # Mt 20:26-27; Mk 9:35; 3Jn 9 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. # Pr 29:23; Ezk 21:26; Lk 14:11; 18:14; Jms 4:6,10; 1Pt 5:5-6

13“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in. # Mt 23:15,23,25; Lk 11:52

14“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and make long prayers just for show. # Or prayers with false motivation This is why you will receive a harsher punishment. # Other mss omit bracketed text

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, # Ac 2:11; 6:5; 13:43 and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell # Lit twice the son of gehenna as you are!

16“Woe to you, blind guides, # Mt 15:14; 23:24; Ac 1:16; Rm 2:19 who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath # Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21; Mt 5:33; 14:7; 26:63,72 by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.’ # Lit is obligated 17Blind fools! # Lit Fools and blind For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? 18Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’ # Lit is obligated 19Blind people! # Other mss read Fools and blind For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? # Ex 29:37; 30:29 20Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. 21The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells # 1Kg 8:13; 2Ch 6:2; Ps 26:8; 132:14 in it. 22And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne # Ex 17:16; Ps 11:4; Mt 5:34; Heb 8:1 and by Him who sits on it. # Ps 47:8; Mt 19:28; Rv 4:2

23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of # Or You tithe mint, dill, and cumin, # A plant whose seeds are used as a seasoning yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, # 1Sm 15:22; Ps 33:5; Jr 5:1; Mc 6:8; Zch 7:9; Lk 11:42 mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. 24Blind guides! # Mt 15:14; 23:16 You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed # Or full of violence and self-indulgence! # Mk 7:4; Lk 11:39 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, # Other mss add and dish so the outside of it # Other mss read of them may also become clean.

27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, # Lk 11:44; Ac 23:3 which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. 28In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ # Lit have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets 31You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ sins! # Lit the measure of your fathers # Gn 15:16; Ac 7:51; 1Th 2:15-16

33“Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell? # Lit escape from the judgment of gehenna # Mt 3:7; 5:22; 12:34 34This is why I am sending you prophets, # Ac 13:1; 1Co 12:28 sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues # 2Ch 36:15-16; Mt 10:17; Ac 22:19 and hound from town to town. 35So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, # Lit will come on you from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, # 2Ch 24:21; Zch 1:1 son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. # Gn 4:8; Heb 11:4; 1Jn 3:12; Rv 18:24 36I assure you: All these things will come on this generation! # Mt 10:23; 16:28; 24:34

Jesus’ Lamentation over Jerusalem

37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! # Lk 13:34-35 She 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 # Or as a mother bird gathers her young under her wings, yet you were not willing! # Dt 32:11-12; Ru 2:12; Mt 5:12 38See, your house is left to you desolate. # 1Kg 9:7; Is 64:11; Jr 12:7; 22:5 39For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One’! ” # Ps 118:26; Mt 21:9 # Ps 118:26

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Matthew 23: HCSB

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