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Matthew 23 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

Pharisaism Exposed

Mat 23:1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,
Mat 23:2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
Mat 23:3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.
Mat 23:4“They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.
Mat 23:5“But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their [fn]phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
Mat 23:6“They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Mat 23:7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.
Mat 23:8“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.
Mat 23:9“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
Mat 23:10“Do not be called [fn]leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
Mat 23:11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant.
Mat 23:12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Eight Woes

Mat 23:13“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven [fn]from [fn]people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
Mat 23:14[[fn]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]
Mat 23:15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one [fn]proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of [fn]hell as yourselves.
Mat 23:16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the [fn]temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [fn]temple is obligated.’
Mat 23:17“You fools and blind men! Which is [fn]more important, the gold or the [fn]temple that sanctified the gold?
Mat 23:18“And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the [fn]offering on it, he is obligated.’
Mat 23:19“You blind men, which is [fn]more important, the [fn]offering, or the altar that sanctifies the [fn]offering?
Mat 23:20“Therefore, [fn]whoever swears by the altar, swears both by [fn]the altar and by everything on it.
Mat 23:21“And [fn]whoever swears by the [fn]temple, swears both by [fn]the temple and by Him who dwells within it.
Mat 23:22“And [fn]whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
Mat 23:23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [fn]cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
Mat 23:24“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
Mat 23:25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full [fn]of robbery and self-indulgence.
Mat 23:26“You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
Mat 23:27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28“So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Mat 23:29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
Mat 23:30and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
Mat 23:31“So you testify against yourselves, that you are [fn]sons of those who murdered the prophets.
Mat 23:32“Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.
Mat 23:33“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how [fn]will you escape the [fn]sentence of [fn]hell?
Mat 23:34“Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,
Mat 23:35so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the [fn]temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36“Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

Mat 23:37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Mat 23:38“Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
Mat 23:39“For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”
NASB95 Footnotes
I.e. small cases containing Scripture texts worn on the left arm and forehead for religious purposes
Or, teachers
Literally: in front of
Gr anthropoi
This v not found in early mss
Or, convert
Gr Gehenna
Or, sanctuary
Literally: greater
Or, sanctuary
Or, gift
Literally: greater
Or, gift
Literally: he who
Literally: it
Literally: he who
Or, sanctuary
Literally: it
Literally: he who
Similar to caraway seeds
Or, as a result of
Or, descendants
Literally: would
Or, judgment
Gr Gehenna
Or, sanctuary
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New American Standard Bible 1995
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Matthew Chapter 23 — Additional Translations: