Bible-Center
Whole Bible
New American Standard Bible (en)
Share

Matthew, Chapter 23

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore 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 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 But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden theira I.e. small cases containing Scripture texts worn on the left arm and forehead for religious purposesphylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be calledb Or teachersleaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heavenc Lit in front offromd Gr anthropoipeople; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [e This v not found in early mssWoe 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 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make onef Or convertproselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son ofg Gr Gehennahell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by theh Or sanctuarytemple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of thei Or sanctuarytemple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! Which isj Lit greatermore important, the gold or thek Or sanctuarytemple that sanctified the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by thel Or giftoffering on it, he is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, which ism Lit greatermore important, then Or giftoffering, or the altar that sanctifies theo Or giftoffering? 20 Therefore,p Lit he whowhoever swears by the altar, swears both byq Lit itthe altar and by everything on it. 21 Andr Lit he whowhoever swears by thes Or sanctuarytemple, swears both byt Lit itthe temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22 Andu Lit he whowhoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill andv Similar to caraway seedscummin, 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 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are fullw Or as a result ofof robbery and self-indulgence. 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 “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 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and 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 So you testify against yourselves, that you arex Or descendantssons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, howy Lit wouldwill you escape thez Or judgmentsentence ofaa Gr Gehennahell?
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 so 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 theab Or sanctuarytemple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
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 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 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!’”

Once registered, you can subscribe for any reading plans of the Bible.

Possibilities of personalized settings and other services for the already registered users are in the pipeline, therefore we advise you to register now (for free, of course).