Study Desk

And call no one on earth, father, for one is your Father in heaven.

Nor be called leaders, for one is your leader, the Christ.

For whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you embezzle the property of widows, with the pretense that you make long prayers; because of this you shall receive a greater judgment.*

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you have shut off the kingdom of heaven against men; for you do not enter into it yourselves, and do not permit those who would enter.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him the son of hell twice more than yourselves.

Woe to you, blind guides, for you say, Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold which is in the temple, he is guilty!

O you fools and blind! for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

O you fools and blind! for which is greater, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you take tithes on mint, dill, and cummin, and you have overlooked the more important matters of the law, such as justice, mercy, and trustworthiness. These were necessary for you to have done, and the same by no means to have left undone.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like tombs painted white, which look beautiful from the outside, but inside are full of dead bones and all kinds of corruption.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets, and you decorate the graves of the righteous;

For I say to you, from now you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

For many will come in my name, and say, I am the Christ, and they will deceive many.

You are bound to hear of revolutions and rumors of wars; look out and do not be disturbed; for all of these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes, in different places.

Then they will deliver you over to be oppressed, and they will kill you; and you will be hated by all nations for my name''s sake.

For then will be great suffering, such as has never happened from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be again.

And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would live; but for the sake of the chosen ones those days will be shortened.

For there will rise false Christs and lying prophets, and they will show signs and great wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.