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Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

¹ Then Jesus ^(a)said to the crowds and to his disciples, ^2 (b)"The scribes and the Pharisees ^(c)sit on Moses' seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, ^(d)but not the works they do. ^(e)For they preach, but do not practice. ^4 (f)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ^5 (g)They do all their deeds ^(h)to be seen by others. For they make ⁽ⁱ⁾their phylacteries broad and ^(j)their fringes long, ⁶ and they ^(k)love the place of honor at feasts and ^(l)the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and ^(m)greetings in ⁽ⁿ⁾the marketplaces and being called ^(o)rabbi^[b] by others. ^8 (p)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^(q)all brothers.^{[c] 9 (r)}And call no man your father on earth, for ^(s)you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, ^(t)the Christ. ^11 (u)The greatest among you shall be your servant. ^12 (v)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ "But woe ^(w)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(x)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(y)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[d] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(z)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(aa)child of ^(ab)hell^[e] as yourselves.

¹⁶ "Woe to ^(ac)you, ^(ad)blind guides, who say, ^(ae)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(af)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(ag)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(ah)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(ai)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(aj)heaven swears by ^(ak)the throne of God and by ^(al)him who sits upon it.

^23 (am)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(an)you tithe mint and dill and ^(ao)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(ap)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(aq)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(ar)a camel!

^25 (as)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(at)you clean the outside of ^(au)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(av)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(aw)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

^27 (ax)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(ay)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(az)all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also ^(ba)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(bb)hypocrisy and lawlessness.

^29 (bc)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(bd)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 (be)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, ^(bf)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(bg)hell? ^34 (bh)Therefore ^(bi)I send you ^(bj)prophets and wise men and ^(bk)scribes, ^(bl)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(bm)some you will ^(bn)flog in your synagogues and ^(bo)persecute from town to town, ³⁵ so that on you may come all ^(bp)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(bq)Abel to the blood of ^(br)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[f] whom you murdered between ^(bs)the sanctuary and ^(bt)the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(bu)all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

^37 (bv)"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(bw)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^(bx)gathered ^(by)your children together ^(bz)as a hen gathers her brood ^(ca)under her wings, and ^(cb)you were not willing! ³⁸ See, ^(cc)your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^(cd)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

¹ Then Jesus ^(a)said to the crowds and to his disciples, ^2 (b)"The scribes and the Pharisees ^(c)sit on Moses' seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, ^(d)but not the works they do. ^(e)For they preach, but do not practice. ^4 (f)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ^5 (g)They do all their deeds ^(h)to be seen by others. For they make ⁽ⁱ⁾their phylacteries broad and ^(j)their fringes long, ⁶ and they ^(k)love the place of honor at feasts and ^(l)the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and ^(m)greetings in ⁽ⁿ⁾the marketplaces and being called ^(o)rabbi^[b] by others. ^8 (p)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^(q)all brothers.^{[c] 9 (r)}And call no man your father on earth, for ^(s)you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, ^(t)the Christ. ^11 (u)The greatest among you shall be your servant. ^12 (v)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ "But woe ^(w)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(x)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(y)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[d] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(z)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(aa)child of ^(ab)hell^[e] as yourselves.

¹⁶ "Woe to ^(ac)you, ^(ad)blind guides, who say, ^(ae)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(af)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(ag)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(ah)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(ai)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(aj)heaven swears by ^(ak)the throne of God and by ^(al)him who sits upon it.

^23 (am)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(an)you tithe mint and dill and ^(ao)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(ap)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(aq)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(ar)a camel!

^25 (as)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(at)you clean the outside of ^(au)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(av)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(aw)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

^27 (ax)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(ay)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(az)all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also ^(ba)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(bb)hypocrisy and lawlessness.

^29 (bc)"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(bd)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 (be)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, ^(bf)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(bg)hell? ^34 (bh)Therefore ^(bi)I send you ^(bj)prophets and wise men and ^(bk)scribes, ^(bl)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(bm)some you will ^(bn)flog in your synagogues and ^(bo)persecute from town to town, ³⁵ so that on you may come all ^(bp)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(bq)Abel to the blood of ^(br)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[f] whom you murdered between ^(bs)the sanctuary and ^(bt)the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(bu)all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

^37 (bv)"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(bw)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^(bx)gathered ^(by)your children together ^(bz)as a hen gathers her brood ^(ca)under her wings, and ^(cb)you were not willing! ³⁸ See, ^(cc)your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^(cd)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"