Matthew 23
Webster Bible Translation

Woes to Scribes and Pharisees

(Luke 11:37-54)

1Then Jesus spoke to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat. 3All therefore, whatever they bid you observe, that observe and do: but do not ye according to their works: for they say, and do not. 4For 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. 5But all their works they do to be seen by men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7And greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father who is in heaven. 10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even Christ. 11But he that is greatest among you, shall be your servant. 12And whoever shall exalt himself, shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted.

13But woe to 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. 14Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

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

16Woe to you, ye blind guides, who say, Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. 17Ye fools, and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18And whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19Ye fools, and blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20Whoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things upon it. 21And whoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth in it. 22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth upon it.

23Woe to 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 ye ought to have done, and not to leave the others undone. 24Ye blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25Woe to 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. 26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whitened sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28Thus ye also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, 30And 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. 31Wherefore ye are witnesses to yourselves, that ye are the children of them who killed the prophets. 32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

34Wherefore 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 them from city to city: 35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36Verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

(Luke 13:31-35)

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I say to you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 22
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