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CHAPTER 23
1 Then Jesus spake to the people, and to his disciples,
2 and said, On the chair of Moses, scribes and Pharisees have sat.
3 Therefore keep ye, and do ye all (the) things, whatever things they say to you. But do not ye do after their works; for they say, and do not. (And so obey ye them, and do everything, whatever they tell you to do. But do not do, or follow, after their works; for they say to do something, but they do not do it themselves.)
4 And they bind grievous charges (or heavy burdens), and that may not be borne, and put (them) on [the] shoulders of men; but with their (own) finger they will not move them (or but with their own finger they will not even touch them).
5 Therefore they do all their works to be seen of men (or And so they do all their works to be seen by men); for they draw abroad their phylacteries, and magnify [their] hems.
6 And they love the first sitting places in suppers [or at suppers], and the first chairs in synagogues;
7 and salutations in [the] chapping, and to be called of men, master. (and respectful greetings at the market, and to be called by men, Teacher, or Rabbi.)
8 But do not ye be called master; for one is your master, and all ye be brethren. (But do not ye be called Rabbi; for there is only one Teacher, and all of ye be brothers.)
9 And do not ye call to you(rselves) a father on earth, for one is your Father, that is in heavens, (or for there is only one Father, who is in heaven).
10 Neither be ye called masters, for one is your master, Christ. (Nor be ye called teachers, for there is only one Teacher, the Messiah.)
11 He that is (the) greatest among you, shall be your minister. (He who is the greatest among you, shall be your servant.)
12 For he that higheth himself, shall be meeked; and he that meeketh himself, shall be enhanced. (For he who maketh himself high, shall be humbled; and he who maketh himself humble, shall be exalted.)
13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that close (the door of) the kingdom of heavens before men [or for ye close (the door of) the realm of heaven before men]; and ye enter not, neither suffer other men entering to enter. (But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in front of people; and ye enter not, nor allow others entering to enter.)
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that eat (up) the houses of widows, and pray by long prayer; for this thing ye shall take the more doom (or ye shall receive the greater, or the harsher, judgement).
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that go about the sea and the land, to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him (to be) a son of hell, double more than ye be.
16 Woe to you, blind leaders, that say, Whoever sweareth by the temple of God, it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gold of the temple (or but he who sweareth by the gold of the Temple), is (a) debtor [or oweth].
17 Ye fools and blind (or Ye blind fools), for what is greater, the gold, or the temple that halloweth the gold?
18 And whoever sweareth in the altar, it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gift that is on the altar, oweth [or is a debtor]. (And whoever sweareth by the altar, it is nothing; but he who sweareth by the gift that is on the altar, is a debtor.)
19 Blind men, for what is more, the gift, or the altar that halloweth the gift?
20 Therefore he that sweareth in the altar, sweareth in it, and in all things that be thereon. (And so he who sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all the things that be on it.)
21 And he that sweareth in the temple, sweareth in it, and in him that dwelleth in the temple. (And he who sweareth by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by Him who dwelleth in the Temple.)
22 And he that sweareth in heaven, sweareth in the throne of God, and in him that sitteth thereon. (And he who sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him who sitteth on it.)
23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that tithe mint, anise, and cumin, and have left those things that be of more charge of the law (or that be of greater importance in the Law), (yea), doom (or judgement), and mercy, and faith. And it behooved [or needed] to do these things, and not to leave (undone) those (other things).
24 Blind leaders, cleansing a gnat, but swallowing a camel.
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that cleanse the cup and the platter withoutforth; but within ye be full of raven, and uncleanness, (or but within ye be full of the spoils gotten from robberies, and uncleanness).
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the cup and the platter withinforth, (so) that [also] that that is withoutforth be made clean.
27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that be like to sepulchres whited [or made white], which withoutforth seem fair to men, (or who be like white tombs, which on the outside look beautiful to men); but within they be full of (the) bones of dead men, and of all filth.
28 So ye withoutforth seem just [or rightful] to men; but within ye be full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that build [the] sepulchres of (the) prophets, and make fair the burials of just men, (Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who build the tombs of the prophets, and make the tombs of the righteous beautiful,)
30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been their fellows in (spilling) the blood of (the) prophets. (and say, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their partners in spilling the blood of the prophets.)
31 And so ye be in[to] witnessing to yourselves, that ye be the sons of them that slew the prophets. (And so ye testify about yourselves, that ye be the sons of those who killed the prophets.)
32 And (so) full-fill ye (then) the measure of your fathers. [And (so) fill ye (full) the measure of your fathers.]
33 Ye adders, and adders’ brood [or (the) fruits of adders], how shall ye flee from the doom of hell? (Ye snakes, and children of snakes, how shall ye flee from the judgement of hell, or from being condemned to hell?)
34 Therefore lo! I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes [or writers]; and of them ye shall slay and crucify, and of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and shall pursue from city into city, [or and shall pursue from city to city], (or and shall persecute them from city to city);
35 that all the just blood come on you, that was shed on the earth, from the blood of just Abel to the blood of Zacharias, the son of Barachias, whom ye slew betwixt the temple and the altar. (so that all the righteous or innocent blood come upon you, that was shed upon the earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom ye killed between the Temple and the altar.)
36 Truly I say to you (or I tell you the truth), all these things shall come on this generation.
37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that slayest prophets, and stonest them that be sent to thee, how oft would I gather together thy children, as an hen gathereth together her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not (or but thou would not let me).
38 Lo! your house shall be left to you desert(ed)[or forsaken].
39 And I say to you, ye shall not see me from henceforth, till ye say, Blessed is he, that cometh in the name of the Lord.

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© 2001,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015 Terry Noble