New King James Version

New Living Translation

1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,

1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.

3Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.

4For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

5But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.

6They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.

7greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

8But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.

9Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father.

10And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.

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

11 The greatest among you must be a servant.

12And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

13“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.

14Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

14

15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!

16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’

16 “Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’

17Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

17 Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?

18And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’

18 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding.

19Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

19 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

20Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

20 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it.

21He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

21 And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.

22And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

22 And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.

23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

24Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!

26Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.

28Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

29 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.

30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

30 Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’

31“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

31 “But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.

32 Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.

33Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

34Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

34 “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.

35that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

35 As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.

36Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

36 I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation. Jesus Grieves over Jerusalem

37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one 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, but you were not willing!

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.

38See! Your house is left to you desolate;

38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.

39for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”

39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD !’ ”

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.