THE
*GOSPEL
¶ACCORDING TO
^ MATTHEW
Matthew 23 ©
1 Christ exhorts His hearers to follow that which the scribes and Pharisees teach them out of Moses, but not their works.5 Describes their hypocrisy and ambition. 8 And admonishes His own to take heed thereof, and to aspire humility. 13 Proclaims the woe eight times upon the Pharisees and Scribes, because of their divers, wicked practices, as namely, that they shut heaven against men. 14 Eat up widows’ houses. 15 Made ill proselytes. 16 Taught perversely to swear by the temple, altar and heaven. 23 Tithed small matters and omitted the weightiest things of the law. 25 Made clean the outside and not the heart. 27 Being like whited sepulchers. 29 That they built up the sepulchers of the old prophets and sought to kill new ones. 37 Complains of the stubbornness of the city Jerusalem and foretells her destruction.
THEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Saying, Thea scribes and the Pharisees 1sit in Moses' seat:
2All thereforeb whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: forc they say, and do not.
Ford they 3bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
But all their works they do fore to be seen of men: they make broad theirf4phylacteries, and enlarge the 5borders of their garments,
Andg love the uppermost roomsh at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And greetings in the markets, and to be calledi of men, 6Rabbi, Rabbi.
But be not ye called 7Rabbi: for one is your 8Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your father upon the earth: forj9one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Neither be ye called masters: for 10one is your Master, even Christ.
Butk he that is 11greatest among you shall be your servant.
Andl whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
¶Butm 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 12that are entering to go in.
Woen unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a 13pretence make 14long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the 15greater damnation.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and 16land to make one 17proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the 18child of hell than yourselves.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, 19it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the goldo of the temple, 20he is a debtor!
21Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by 22the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or thep altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
Andq whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him 23that dwelleth therein.
Andr he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Woes unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye 24pay tithe of 25mint and anise and cummin,t andu have omitted 26the weightier matters of the law, 27judgment, 28mercy, and 29faith: thesev ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Ye blind guides, which strain at a 30gnat, and swallow a camel.
Woew unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter,x but within they are full of 31extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee, 32cleanse first thatywhich is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whitedz sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Woeaa unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the 33sepulchres of the righteous,
And say, If we had been 34in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them 35in the blood of the prophets.
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, thatab ye are 36the children of them which killed the prophets.
37Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Yeac38serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape 39the damnation of hell?
¶Wherefore,ad behold, Iae send unto you prophets, and wise men, and 40scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall yeaf scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
That upon you may come all the righteous 41blood shed upon the earth, fromag the blood of righteous Abel unto theah blood of Zacharias son of 42Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Oai Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killestaj the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, howak often would I have gathered 43thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye 44would not!
Behold,al your house 45is left unto you desolate.
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, 46till ye shall say, Blessedam47is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.