Matthew 23:13-38

English Standard Version

¹³ “But woe ^(A)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(B)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(C)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[a] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(D)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(E)child of ^(F)hell^[b] as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to ^(G)you, ^(H)blind guides, who say, ^(I)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(J)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(K)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(L)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(M)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(N)heaven swears by ^(O)the throne of God and by ^(P)him who sits upon it.

^23 (Q)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(R)you tithe mint and dill and ^(S)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(T)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(U)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(V)a camel!

^25 (W)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(X)you clean the outside of ^(Y)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(Z)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(AA)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

^27 (AB)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(AC)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(AD)all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also ^(AE)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(AF)hypocrisy and lawlessness.

^29 (AG)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(AH)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 (AI)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, ^(AJ)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(AK)hell? ^34 (AL)Therefore ^(AM)I send you ^(AN)prophets and wise men and ^(AO)scribes, ^(AP)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(AQ)some you will ^(AR)flog in your synagogues and ^(AS)persecute from town to town, ³⁵ so that on you may come all ^(AT)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(AU)Abel to the blood of ^(AV)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[c] whom you murdered between ^(AW)the sanctuary and ^(AX)the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(AY)all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

^37 (AZ)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(BA)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^(BB)gathered ^(BC)your children together ^(BD)as a hen gathers her brood ^(BE)under her wings, and ^(BF)you were not willing! ³⁸ See, ^(BG)your house is left to you desolate.