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

² saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down in Moses’ seat;

³ 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 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 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 and love the first place at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues

⁷ and greetings in the markets and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

⁸ But, as for you, desire not to be called Rabbi, for one is your Master, the Christ; and you are all brothers.

⁹ And call no one your father upon the earth, for one is your Father, who is in the heavens.

¹⁰ Neither be ye called masters, for one is your Master, the Christ.

¹¹ But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

¹³ ¶ 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 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 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 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 Ye fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

¹⁸ 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 Ye fools and blind, for which one is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

²⁰ Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar, swears by it and by all things thereon.

²¹ And whosoever shall swear by the temple, swears by it and by Him that dwells therein.

²² And he that shall swear by the heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him that sits thereon.

²³ 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 Ye blind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.

²⁵ 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 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also.

²⁷ 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 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

²⁹ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the sepulchres of the righteous

³⁰ 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 Therefore ye are witnesses unto yourselves that ye are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

³² Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

³³ Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the judgment of hell?

³⁴ ¶ Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, {Gr. stauroo – Hang on a stake} and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city,

³⁵ 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 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

³⁷ 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 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

³⁹ 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.