Then spoke Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples,
2 Saying "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3 Therefore, do whatever they command you, but do not imitate their works; for they talk of what is required, but they fail to practice what they preach.
4 For they bind heavy burdens which are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift one of their little fingers to help them.
5 They do all their works to be seen by men. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels on their garments.
6 They love the uppermost rooms at feasts and the most important seats in the synagogues,
7 They love to be greeted in the markets and to be called by men, 'Rabbi' [teacher, master, Reverend, Father, Pastor, Dr.].
8 But do not be called 'Rabbi' [teacher]; for you have one teacher1, and you are all brothers.
9 And do not call any man 'father' [as a religious title] upon the earth; for One is your Father, who is in heaven.
10 And you must not be called masters (leaders), for you have one Master (Leader), the Christ.
11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who will humble himself will be exalted.
13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.2
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers. Therefore you will receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.3
16 Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath!'
17 You blind fools; which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18 And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is upon the altar, he is bound by his oath.'
19 You blind fools; which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20 Therefore whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. You ought to have done these without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 You blind Pharisee! First cleanse what is within the cup and platter, so that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful on the outside, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
28 Even so, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity [sin].
29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,
30 And say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have been partakers with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
31 Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets.
32 Fill up then, the measure of the sins of your forefathers.
33 You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?
34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city.
35 So that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.
36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not [come to me and believe me]!
38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
39 For I say to you, You shall not see me from this time forward, until you shall say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
