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¹ Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses:² All things therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, observe and do;³ but do not ye after their works; for they say and do not.⁴ For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they will not move them with their finger.⁵ But all their works they do, to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and inlarge the fringes of their garments.⁶ And love the uppermost places at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,⁷ And salutations in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi.⁸ But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.⁹ And call no man your father on earth; for one is your Father, who is in heaven.¹⁰ Neither be ye called Masters; for one is your Master, even Christ.¹¹ But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.¹² Whosoever shall exalt himself, shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted.

¹³ But wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: ye go not in, neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in.¹⁴ Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye devour widows houses, and for a pretence make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.¹⁵ Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compass sea and land, to make one proselyte, and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.¹⁶ Wo to you, ye blind guides; who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is bound.¹⁷ Ye fools and blind: for which is greater? The gold? Or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?¹⁸ And whosoever shall swear by the altar, ye say, it is nothing: but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is bound.¹⁹ Ye fools and blind; for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?²⁰ He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things thereon.²¹ And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it and by him that dwelleth therein.²² And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.²³ Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to have neglected the others.²⁴ Ye blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.²⁵ Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish; but within they are full of rapine and intemperance.²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first, the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.²⁷ Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like whited sepulchres, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness.²⁸ So ye likewise outwardly appear righteous to men; but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.²⁹ Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchres 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.³¹ Wherefore ye testify against yourselves, that ye are the sons of them who killed the prophets.³² Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye brood of vipers,³³ how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

³⁴ Wherefore behold I send to you prophets, and wise-men, and scribes; and some of them ye will kill and crucify, and some of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:³⁵ That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous, to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.³⁶ Verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.³⁷ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a bird gathereth her young under her wings; and ye would not!³⁸ Behold your house is left unto you desolate.³⁹ For I say to you, ye shall not see me from this time, till ye say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.