Matthew, 23

1. Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

1. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:

2. Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

2. "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses.

3. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

3. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do,

4. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.

4. for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them.

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

5. They do everything in order to be seen by people; so they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels.

6. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

6. They enjoy the first place at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues,

7. And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

7. and being greeted in the marketplace and being called 'Master' by the people.

8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren.

8. But you, do not let yourselves be called Master because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters.

9. And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

9. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father, he who is in heaven.

10. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ.

10. Nor should you be called leader, because Christ is the only leader for you.

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

11. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all.

12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

12. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.

13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

13. Therefore, woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow others to do so.

14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

14. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!

15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

15. You travel by sea and land to win a single convert, yet once he is converted, you turn him twice as fit for hell as yourselves.

16. Woe unto you, [ye] blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

16. Woe to you, blind guides! You say: To swear by the Temple is not binding, but to swear by the treasure of the Temple is.

17. [Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

17. Blind fools! Which is of more worth? The gold in the Temple or the Temple which makes the gold a sacred treasure? You say:

18. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

18. To swear by the altar is not binding, but to swear by the offering on the altar is.

19. [Ye] fools and blind: for whether [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

19. How blind you are! Which is of more value: the offering on the altar or the altar which makes the offering sacred?

20. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

20. Whoever swears by the altar is swearing by the altar and by everything on it.

21. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

21. Whoever swears by the Temple is swearing by it and by God who dwells in the Temple.

22. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

22. Whoever swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.

23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

23. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You do not forget the mint, anise and cummin seeds when you pay the tenth of everything, but then you forget what is most fundamental in the Law: justice, mercy and faith. These you must practice, without neglecting the others.

24. [Ye] blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

24. Blind guides! You strain out a mosquito, but swallow a camel.

25. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

25. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You fill the plate and the cup with theft and violence, and then pronounce a blessing over them.

26. [Thou] blind Pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

26. Blind Pharisee! Purify the inside first, then the outside too will be purified.

27. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all uncleanness.

27. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs beautiful in appearance, but inside there are only dead bones and uncleanness.

28. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

28. In the same way you appear as religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within.

29. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

29. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.

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

30. You say: Had we lived in the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in the blood of prophets.

31. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

31. So, you yourselves confess to be kins of those who murdered the prophets.

32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

32. And now, finish off what your ancestors began!

33. [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

33. Serpents, race of vipers! How can you escape condemnation to hell?

34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and [some] of them ye shall kill and crucify; and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute [them] from city to city:

34. And so I am sending you prophets, sages and teachers, but you will murder and crucify them, and flog others in the synagogues or drive them from one city to another.

35. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

35. Because of this you will be accountable for all the innocent blood that has been shed on the earth, from the blood of upright Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary.

36. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

36. Truly, I say to you: the present generation will pay for all this.

37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!

37. Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You murder the prophets and stone those sent to you by God. How often would I have gathered your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you refused!

38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

38. Now you will be left with an empty Temple.

39. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

39. I tell you that you will no longer see me until you say: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"