Matthew 23 Parallel Bible Translations

Matthew 23 ▼
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New Living Translation
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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 teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. 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 crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. 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 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. 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 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the 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 receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘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 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. 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 address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. 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 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, 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 greatest among you must be a servant. The greatest among you shall be your servant. The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 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 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. “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 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves 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 “Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’ “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 Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? 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 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding. 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 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 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 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing 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 And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it. 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 when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne. 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 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. “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 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! “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 Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. 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 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts 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 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with 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 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. “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 in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing 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 “But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed 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 and finish what your ancestors started. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of 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 “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them 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 responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary 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 tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation. 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 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. “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 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. See, your house is left to you desolate. Look, your house is left to you desolate.
39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on 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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