Matthew 23 Parallel Bible Translations

Matthew 23 ▼
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1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2 |The scribes and the Pharisees teach with Moses' authority. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 So be careful to do everything they tell you. But don't follow their example, because they don't practice what they preach. so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4 They make loads that are hard to carry and lay them on the shoulders of the people. However, they are not willing to lift a finger to move them. They 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. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 |They do everything to attract people's attention. They make their headbands large and the tassels on their shawls long. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6 They love the place of honor at dinners and the front seats in synagogues. and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7 They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them Rabbi. and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 But don't make others call you Rabbi, because you have only one teacher, and you are all followers. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And don't call anyone on earth your father, because you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10 Don't make others call you a leader, because you have only one leader, the Messiah. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.
11 The person who is greatest among you will be your servant. The greatest among you shall be your servant. The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 Whoever honors himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be honored. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
13 |How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don't enter it yourselves, and you don't permit others to enter when they try. “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. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
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15 |How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You cross land and sea to recruit a single follower, and when you do, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are. Woe 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. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16 |How horrible it will be for you, you blind guides! You say, 'To swear an oath by the temple doesn't mean a thing. But to swear an oath by the gold in the temple means a person must keep his oath.' “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.’ “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’
17 You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the temple that made the gold holy? You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18 Again you say, 'To swear an oath by the altar doesn't mean a thing. But to swear an oath by the gift on the altar means a person must keep his oath.' And 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.’ You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’
19 You blind men! What is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 To swear an oath by the altar is to swear by it and by everything on it. So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 To swear an oath by the temple is to swear by it and by the one who lives there. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
22 And to swear an oath by heaven is to swear by God's throne and the one who sits on it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 |How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give [God] one-tenth of your mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses' Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others. “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. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
24 You blind guides! You strain gnats [out of your wine], but you swallow camels. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 |How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside they are full of greed and uncontrolled desires. “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. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cups and dishes so that the outside may also be clean. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 |How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed graves that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people's bones and every kind of impurity. “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. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
28 So on the outside you look as though you have God's approval, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 |How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who had God's approval. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
30 Then you say, 'If we had lived at the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped to murder the prophets.' saying, ‘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.’ And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Go ahead, finish what your ancestors started! Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 |You snakes! You poisonous snakes! How can you escape being condemned to hell? You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
34 I'm sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers of the Scriptures. You will kill and crucify some of them. Others you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. Therefore 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, Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
35 As a result, you will be held accountable for all the innocent blood of those murdered on earth, from the murder of righteous Abel to that of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. so 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. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 I can guarantee this truth: The people living now will be held accountable for all these things. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
37 |Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone to death those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you were not willing! “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! “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 Your house will be abandoned, deserted. See, your house is left to you desolate. Look, your house is left to you desolate.
39 I can guarantee that you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes 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.’” For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
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