Matthew 23

Jesus pronounces seven woes on the scribes and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites, blind guides, and whitewashed tombs. He laments over Jerusalem, declaring that her house is left desolate and that she will not see Him again until she says, 'Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.'

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,	Then Jesus spoke to the crowd and to His disciples.
2	Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:	He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3	All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.	So practice and obey everything they tell you. But do not follow their example, because they do not practice what they teach.
4	For 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.	They tie up heavy loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5	But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,	Everything they do is done for people to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.
6	And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,	They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues.
7	And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.	They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others.
8	But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.	But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Master, and you are all brothers.
9	And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.	And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in heaven.
10	Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.	Nor are You to be called 'Master,' for You have one Master — the Christ.
11	But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.	The greatest among You will be Your servant.
12	And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.	Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13	But 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.	Woe to You, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, and You block those who are trying to enter.
14	Woe 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.	Woe to You, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and for appearance make long prayers. Therefore You will receive the greater damnation.
15	Woe 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.	Woe to You, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when You have won Him, You make Him twice as much a child of hell as You are.
16	Woe 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!	Woe to You, blind guides! You say, "If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by His oath."
17	Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?	You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18	And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.	You also say, "If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound by His oath."
19	Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?	You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20	Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.	Therefore, whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21	And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.	Whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who lives in it.
22	And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.	And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the One who sits on it.
23	Woe 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.	Woe to You, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of Your spices — mint, anise, and cumin. But You have neglected the more important matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. You should have practiced these without neglecting the others.
24	Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.	You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25	Woe 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.	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	Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.	Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean.
27	Woe 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.	Woe to You, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.
28	Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.	In the same way, on the outside You appear righteous to others, but on the inside You are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,	Woe to You, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
30	And 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.	You say, "If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part in shedding the blood of the prophets."
31	Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.	By saying this, You testify against yourselves that You are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
32	Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.	Go ahead, then, and complete what Your ancestors started!
33	Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?	You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will You escape the damnation of hell?
34	Wherefore, 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:	Therefore I am sending You prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them You will kill and crucify. Others You will flog in Your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
35	That 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.	So on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36	Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.	Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
37	O 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!	Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!
38	Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.	Your house is left to you desolate.
39	For 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.	For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."