Study Desk

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

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, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

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, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.'

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.

"You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?

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!

"And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.'

Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

"You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

"Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

"And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it.

Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

"And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

"You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

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! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

"You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.

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! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

"So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

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! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

and you say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

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

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.

"Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.

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

"You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

"Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

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:

"Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

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.