Matthew 23 :: Bible in Basic English (BBE)

Pharisaism Exposed

(Mar 12:38–40; Luk 20:45–47 )

Mat 23:1Then Jesus said to the people and to his disciples:

Mat 23:2The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses;

Mat 23:3All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not.

Mat 23:4

Mat 23:4They make hard laws and put great weights on men's backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to them.

Mat 23:5

Mat 23:5But all their works they do so as to be seen by men: for they make wide their phylacteries, and the edges of their robes,

Mat 23:6

Mat 23:6And the things desired by them are the first places at feasts, and the chief seats in the Synagogues,

Mat 23:7

Mat 23:7And words of respect in the market-places, and to be named by men, Teacher.

Mat 23:8

Mat 23:8But you may not be named Teacher: for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.

Mat 23:9

Mat 23:9And give no man the name of father on earth: because one is your Father, who is in heaven.

Mat 23:10

Mat 23:10And you may not be named guides: because one is your Guide, even Christ.

Mat 23:11

Mat 23:11But let the greatest among you be your servant.

Mat 23:12

Mat 23:12And whoever makes himself high will be made low, and whoever makes himself low will be made high.

Eight Woes

Mat 23:13

Mat 23:13But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back.

Mat 23:14

Mat 23:14[]

Mat 23:15

Mat 23:15A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Mat 23:16

Mat 23:16A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible.

Mat 23:17

Mat 23:17You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy?

Mat 23:18

Mat 23:18And, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the offering which is on it, he is responsible.

Mat 23:19

Mat 23:19You blind ones: which is greater, the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy?

Mat 23:20

Mat 23:20He, then, who takes an oath by the altar, takes it by the altar and by all things on it.

Mat 23:21

Mat 23:21And he who takes an oath by the Temple, takes it by the Temple and by him whose house it is.

Mat 23:22

Mat 23:22And he who takes an oath by heaven, takes it by the seat of God, and by him who is seated on it.

Mat 23:23

Mat 23:23A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make men give a tenth of all sorts of sweet-smelling plants, but you give no thought to the more important things of the law, righteousness, and mercy, and faith; but it is right for you to do these, and not to let the others be undone.

Mat 23:24

Mat 23:24You blind guides, who take out a fly from your drink, but make no trouble over a camel.

Mat 23:25

Mat 23:25A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of violent behaviour and uncontrolled desire.

Mat 23:26

Mat 23:26You blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may become equally clean.

Mat 23:27

Mat 23:27A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things.

Mat 23:28

Mat 23:28Even so you seem to men to be full of righteousness, but inside you are all false and full of wrongdoing.

Mat 23:29

Mat 23:29A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you put up buildings for housing the dead bodies of the prophets, and make fair the last resting-places of good men, and say,

Mat 23:30

Mat 23:30If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.

Mat 23:31

Mat 23:31So that you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who put the prophets to death.

Mat 23:32

Mat 23:32Make full, then, the measure of your fathers.

Mat 23:33

Mat 23:33You snakes, offspring of snakes, how will you be kept from the punishment of hell?

Mat 23:34

Mat 23:34For this reason, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them you will put to death and put on the cross, and to some of them you will give blows in your Synagogues, driving them from town to town;

Mat 23:35

Mat 23:35So that on you may come all the blood of the upright on the earth, from the blood of upright Abel to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you put to death between the Temple and the altar.

Mat 23:36

Mat 23:36Truly I say to you, All these things will come on this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

(Luk 13:34, 35 )

Mat 23:37

Mat 23:37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her! Again and again would I have taken your children to myself as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, and you would not!

Mat 23:38

Mat 23:38See, your house is made waste.

Mat 23:39

Mat 23:39For I say to you, You will not see me from this time till you say, A blessing on him who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Bible in Basic English was translated by Professor Samuel Henry Hooke (1874-1968)
This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.

Pericope

Matthew Chapter 23 — Additional Translations: