King James Bible

New Living Translation

1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.

3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.

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.

4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.

6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.

7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.

9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father.

10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.

11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

11 The greatest among you must be a servant.

12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

13But woe unto 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.

13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.

14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

14

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

15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!

16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

16 “Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’

17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

17 Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?

18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

18 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding.

19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

19 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

20 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it.

21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

21 And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.

22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

22 And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.

23Woe unto 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 ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

25Woe unto 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.

25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!

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

26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.

28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

29 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.

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.

30 Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’

31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

31 “But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

32 Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.

33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

34 “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.

35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

35 As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.

36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

36 I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation. Jesus Grieves over Jerusalem

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.

38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.

39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD !’ ”

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.