| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, | 1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: |
| 2"The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. | 2"The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. |
| 3Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. | 3Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don't do what they do, because they don't practice what they teach. |
| 4They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. | 4They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger to move them. |
| 5They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long. | 5They do everything to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. |
| 6They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues | 6They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, |
| 7and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them 'Rabbi.' | 7greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi by people. |
| 8But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. | 8"But as for you, do not be called 'Rabbi,' because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. |
| 9And call no one your 'father' on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. | 9Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. |
| 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one teacher, the Christ. | 10And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, the Messiah. |
| 11The greatest among you will be your servant. | 11The greatest among you will be your servant. |
| 12And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. | 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. |
| 13"But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in. | 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. |
| 14 | 14"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and make long prayers just for show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment. |
| 15"Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves! | 15"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are! |
| 16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.' | 16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.' |
| 17Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? | 17Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? |
| 18And, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.' | 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.' |
| 19You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? | 19Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? |
| 20So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. | 20Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. |
| 21And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. | 21The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells in it. |
| 22And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it. | 22And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God's throne and by Him who sits on it. |
| 23"Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law--justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. | 23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. |
| 24Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! | 24Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel! |
| 25"Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. | 25"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence! |
| 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too! | 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so the outside of it may also become clean. |
| 27"Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. | 27"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, 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 look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. | 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, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. | 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 ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' | 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.' |
| 31By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. | 31You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. |
| 32Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! | 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' sins! |
| 33You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? | 33"Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell? |
| 34"For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, | 34This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and hound from town to town. |
| 35so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. | 35So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. |
| 36I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things! | 36I assure you: All these things will come on this generation! |
| 37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! | 37"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! 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 under her wings, yet you were not willing! |
| 38Look, your house is left to you desolate! | 38See, your house is left to you desolate. |
| 39For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'" | 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'!" |
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