New Living Translation

Holman Christian Standard Bible

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

1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:

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

2"The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses.

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

3Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don't do what they do, because they don't practice what they teach.

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

4They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger to move them.

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.

5They do everything to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

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

6They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues,

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

7greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi by people.

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

8"But as for you, do not be called 'Rabbi,' because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

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

9Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.

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

10And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, the Messiah.

11 The greatest among you must be a servant.

11The greatest among you will be your servant.

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

12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

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.

13"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don't go in, and you don't allow those entering to go in.

14	14"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and make long prayers just for show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment.

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!

15"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are!

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.’

16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.'

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

17Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold?

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

18Also, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.'

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

19Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

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

20Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it.

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

21The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells in it.

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

22And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God's throne and by Him who sits on it.

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.

23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.

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

24Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel!

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!

25"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence!

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

26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so the outside of it may also become clean.

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.

27"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every impurity.

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

28In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

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.

29"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,

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

30and you say, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn't have taken part with them in shedding the prophets' blood.'

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

31You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.

32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' sins!

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

33"Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?

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.

34This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and hound from town to town.

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.

35So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

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

36I assure you: All these things will come on this generation!

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.

37"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!

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

38See, your house is left to you desolate.

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 !’ ”

39For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One'!"

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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.