Matthew · Chapter 23
Matthew 23
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain · Source credits
Woes to Scribes and Pharisees
(Luke 11:37–54)
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:
2“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.*
5All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,
7the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.*
8But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
11The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.*
15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.*
16Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
18And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?
20So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it.
22And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.
23Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.*
25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you 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 and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.*
27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.
28In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.*
33You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
34Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town.
35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem
(Luke 13:31–35)
37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!
38Look, your house is left to you desolate.*
39For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”*
Source notes
- 23:4 SBL, NE, and WH They tie up heavy loads
- 23:7 Literally and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by men
- 23:13 BYZ and TR include 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. See Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47. Read Mark 12:40 Read Luke 20:47
- 23:15 Greek Gehenna; also in verse 33
- 23:24 See Leviticus 11:4 and Leviticus 11:23, where camels and gnats are both forbidden as food. Read Leviticus 11:4 Read Leviticus 11:23
- 23:26 NA does not include and dish.
- 23:32 Or Go ahead, then, and complete
- 23:38 NE and WH do not include desolate.
- 23:39 Psalms 118:26 Read Psalms 118:26
Old Testament references
References from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Text from the Berean Standard Bible.
Leviticus 11:4But of those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:23All other flying insects that have four legs are detestable to you.
Psalms 118:26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Nehemiah 8:4Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
Nehemiah 8:5Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was standing above them all, and as he opened it, all the people stood up.
Nehemiah 8:6Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Nehemiah 8:7The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places.
Nehemiah 8:8So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.
Malachi 2:7For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
Exodus 18:19Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their causes to Him.
Exodus 18:20Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do.
Exodus 18:23If you follow this advice and God so directs you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people can go home in peace.”
Deuteronomy 4:5See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land that you are about to enter and possess.
Deuteronomy 5:27Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
Deuteronomy 17:9You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.