Matthew 23:31

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

King James Version (1611)
Wherefore ye bee witnesses vnto your selues, that yee are the children of them which killed the Prophets.

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

English Standard Version
Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

New American Standard Bible
"So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

New Century Version
But you give proof that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

Amplified Bible
"So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Legacy Standard Bible
So you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Berean Standard Bible
So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Contemporary English Version
But you prove that you really are the relatives of the ones who killed the prophets.

Complete Jewish Bible
In this you testify against yourselves that you are worthy descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

Darby Translation
So that ye bear witness of yourselves that ye are sons of those who slew the prophets:

Easy-to-Read Version
So you give proof that you are descendants of those who killed the prophets.

Geneva Bible (1587)
So then ye be witnesses vnto your selues, that ye are the children of them that murthered the Prophets.

George Lamsa Translation
Now you testify concerning yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets.

Good News Translation
So you actually admit that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets!

Lexham English Bible
Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets!

Literal Translation
So you witness to yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

American Standard Version
Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.

Bible in Basic English
So that you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who put the prophets to death.

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are sons of those who killed the prophets.

International Standard Version
Therefore, you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.Acts 7:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 2:15;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
thus bearing witness against yourselves, that you are the sons of them who killed the prophets.

Murdock Translation
Wherefore ye are witnesses, against yourselves, that ye are the children of them that killed the prophets.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so ye be witnesses vnto your selues, that ye are the chyldren of them which kylled the prophetes.

English Revised Version
Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.

World English Bible
Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are sons of those who killed the prophets.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Wherefore ye testify against yourselves, that ye are the sons of them who killed the prophets.

Weymouth's New Testament
"So that you bear witness against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the Prophets.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And so ye ben in witnessyng to you silf, that ye ben the sones of hem that slowen the prophetis.

Update Bible Version
Therefore you witness to yourselves, that you are sons of those that slew the prophets.

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore ye are witnesses to yourselves, that ye are the children of them who killed the prophets.

New English Translation
By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

New King James Version
"Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

New Living Translation
"But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

New Life Bible
In this way, you are showing that you are the sons of those who killed the early preachers.

New Revised Standard
Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So that ye bear witness against yourselves, that ye are, sons, of them who murdered the prophets.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.

Revised Standard Version
Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
So then ye be witnesses vnto youre selfes that ye are the chyldren of them which killed the prophetes.

Young's Literal Translation
So that ye testify to yourselves, that ye are sons of them who did murder the prophets;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore ye be wytnesses vnto youre selues, that ye are the children of them, which slew the prophetes.

Mace New Testament (1729)
whereby you yourselves own that ye are indeed the children of those who killed the prophets,

Simplified Cowboy Version
But you are proof that you are the sons of those posse riders.

Contextual Overview

¹³ "I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned. "You're hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that's nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that's serious.' What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that's nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that's serious'? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that's wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons? "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You're cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count. "Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It's on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse. "You can't squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head. All this, I'm telling you, is coming down on you, on your generation. "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God's news! How often I've ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me. And now you're so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I'm out of here soon. The next time you see me you'll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He's come, bringing God's rule!'" ¹⁴Religious Fashion Shows Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer. "Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor' and ‘Reverend.' "Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ. "Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty. "I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either. ¹⁵ "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned. ¹⁶"You're hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that's nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that's serious.' What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that's nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that's serious'? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless. ²³"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that's wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons? ²⁵"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something. ²⁷"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds. ²⁹"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You're cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count. ³³"Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It's on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

witnesses: Joshua 24:22, Job 15:5, Job 15:6, Psalms 64:8, Luke 19:22

that: Acts 7:51, Acts 7:52, 1 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:16

Reciprocal: Numbers 12:6 - a prophet Numbers 32:14 - an increase Numbers 35:33 - it defileth 2 Kings 21:16 - Manasseh Job 21:19 - for his Psalms 69:27 - Add Psalms 78:8 - as their Psalms 109:14 - Let the Isaiah 30:9 - this is Isaiah 59:7 - and they Isaiah 65:7 - Your iniquities Jeremiah 26:8 - the priests Lamentations 4:13 - that Daniel 9:16 - for the Hosea 5:5 - testify Hosea 10:9 - did Zechariah 11:3 - a voice Matthew 5:12 - for so Matthew 21:35 - General Luke 3:20 - General Luke 6:23 - for in Romans 9:22 - fitted Hebrews 6:6 - they crucify

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves,.... Or "against yourselves", as the Syriac reads; for what they said was a plain acknowledgment, and a full confession, what their fathers had done, and whose offspring they were; and from whom better things were not to be expected; since they were their fathers' own children, and of the same temper and disposition with them:

that ye are the children of them that killed the prophets. They plainly owned, that their fathers killed the prophets, and that they descended from them; though they meant not so much to reproach, their ancestors, as to give themselves a greater character; yet it did not with those, that knew them; not with our Lord: for as their own words testified against them, that they were a seed of evildoers; their practices showed them to be of the same spirit and principles with their progenitors.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ye be witnesses unto yourselves - The emphasis, here, lies in the words “to yourselves.” It is an appeal to their conscience. It was not by their building the tombs that they were witnesses that they were the children of those who killed the prophets; but that, in spite of all this pretence of piety, under all this cloak of profession, they knew in their consciences, and were witnesses to themselves, that it was mere hypocrisy, and that they really approved the conduct of those who slew the prophets.

Children of them ... - Resembling them; approving their conduct; inheriting their feelings. See the notes at Matthew 1:1. They not only showed that they were descended from them, but that they possessed their spirit, and that, in similar circumstances, they would have done as they did.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 31. Ye be witnesses — Ye acknowledge that ye are the children of those murderers, and ye are about to give full proof that ye are not degenerated.

There are many who think that, had they lived in the time of our Lord, they would not have acted towards him as the Jews did. But we can scarcely believe that they who reject his Gospel, trample under foot his precepts, do despite to the Spirit of his grace, love sin, and hate his followers, would have acted otherwise to him than the murdering Jews, had they lived in the same times.