| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, | 1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: |
| 2“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, | 2"The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. |
| 3so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. | 3Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don't do what they do, because they don't practice what they teach. |
| 4They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. | 4They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger to move them. |
| 5They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, | 5They do everything to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. |
| 6and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues | 6They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, |
| 7and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. | 7greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi by people. |
| 8But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. | 8"But as for you, do not be called 'Rabbi,' because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. |
| 9And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. | 9Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. |
| 10Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. | 10And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, the Messiah. |
| 11The greatest among you shall be your servant. | 11The greatest among you will be your servant. |
| 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. | 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. |
| 13“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. | 13"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don't go in, and you don't allow those entering to go in. |
| 14 | 14"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and make long prayers just for show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment. |
| 15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. | 15"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are! |
| 16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ | 16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.' |
| 17You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? | 17Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? |
| 18And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ | 18Also, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.' |
| 19You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? | 19Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? |
| 20So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. | 20Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. |
| 21And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. | 21The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells in it. |
| 22And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. | 22And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God's throne and by Him who sits on it. |
| 23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. | 23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. |
| 24You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! | 24Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel! |
| 25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. | 25"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! |
| 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. | 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so the outside of it may also become clean. |
| 27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. | 27"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every impurity. |
| 28So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. | 28In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. |
| 29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, | 29"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, |
| 30saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ | 30and you say, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn't have taken part with them in shedding the prophets' blood.' |
| 31Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. | 31You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. |
| 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. | 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' sins! |
| 33You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? | 33"Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell? |
| 34Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, | 34This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and hound from town to town. |
| 35so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. | 35So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. |
| 36Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. | 36I assure you: All these things will come on this generation! |
| 37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! | 37"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing! |
| 38See, your house is left to you desolate. | 38See, your house is left to you desolate. |
| 39For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” | 39For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One'!" |
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