1THEN Jesus spoke with the people and with his disciples. 2And he said to them, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the chair of Moses. 3Therefore whatever they tell you to obey, obey and do it, but do not do according to their works; for they say and do not. 4And they bind heavy burdens, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to touch them, even with their finger. 5And all their works they do, just to be seen by men; for they widen the fringes of their garments, and they lengthen the ends of their robes, 6And they like the chief places at feasts, and the front seats in the synagogues, 7And the greetings in the streets, and to be called by men, Rabbi. 8But you do not be called, Rabbi; for one is your Master, and all you are brethren. 9And call no one on earth, father, for one is your Father in heaven. 10Nor be called leaders, for one is your leader, the Christ. 11But he who is greatest among you, let him be your minister. 12For whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

13Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you embezzle the property of widows, with the pretense that you make long prayers; because of this you shall receive a greater judgment. 14Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you have shut off the kingdom of heaven against men; for you do not enter into it yourselves, and do not permit those who would enter.

15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him the son of hell twice more than yourselves.

16Woe to you, blind guides, for you say, Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold which is in the temple, he is guilty! 17O you fools and blind! for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18And whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it, he is guilty. 19O you fools and blind! for which is greater, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20Therefore he who swears by the altar, he swears by it and by everything that is on it. 21And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.

23Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you take tithes on mint, dill, and cummin, and you have overlooked the more important matters of the law, such as justice, mercy, and trustworthiness. These were necessary for you to have done, and the same by no means to have left undone. 24O blind guides, who strain at gnats and swallow camels!

25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and iniquity. 26Blind Pharisees! clean first the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that their outside may also be clean.

27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like tombs painted white, which look beautiful from the outside, but inside are full of dead bones and all kinds of corruption. 28Even so, from the outside you appear to men to be righteous, but from within you are full of iniquity and hypocrisy.

29Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets, and you decorate the graves of the righteous; 30And you say, If we had been living in the days of our forefathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31Now you testify concerning yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets. 32You also fill up the measure of your fathers. 33O you serpents, and seed of scorpions! how can you flee from the judgment of hell?

34Because of this, I am sending to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify; and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and pursue them from city to city; 35So that all the blood of the righteous shed on the ground may come on you, from the blood of Abel the righteous down to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. 36Truly I say to you, All of these things shall come upon this generation.

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murderess of the prophets, and stoner of those who are sent to her! how often I wanted to gather together your children, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and yet you would not! 38Behold, your house will be left to you desolate. 39For I say to you, from now you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.