New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

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

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

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

2saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;

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

3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.

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

4"They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

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.

5"But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.

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

6"They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,

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

7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.

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

8"But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

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

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

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

10"Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.

11 The greatest among you must be a servant.

11"But the greatest among you shall be your servant.

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

12"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

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.

13"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

14	14"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

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!

15"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

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.’

16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.'

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

17"You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?

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

18"And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.'

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

19"You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

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

20"Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

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

21"And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.

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

22"And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

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.

23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

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

24"You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

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!

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

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

26"You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

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.

27"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

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

28"So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

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.

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

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

30and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

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

31"So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.

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

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

33"You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

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.

34"Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and 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,

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.

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

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

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

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.

37"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

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

38"Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

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 !’ ”

39"For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"

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.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org