Matthew 23:25-39

New American Standard Bible

²⁵“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(A)you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full ^[a]of robbery and self-indulgence. ²⁶You blind Pharisee, first ^(B)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the ^[b]outside of it may also become clean.

²⁷“^(C)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. ²⁸So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹“^(D)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰and you 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.’ ³¹So you testify against yourselves, that you ^(E)are ^[c]sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³²^[d]Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. ³³You snakes, ^(F)you ^[e]offspring of vipers, how ^[f]will you escape the ^[g]sentence of ^[h]^(G)hell?

³⁴“^(H)Therefore, behold, ^(I)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will ^(J)flog in your synagogues, and ^(K)persecute from city to city, ³⁵so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(L)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the ^(M)son of Berechiah, whom ^(N)you murdered between the ^[i]temple and the altar. ³⁶Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon ^(O)this generation.

Grieving over Jerusalem

³⁷“^(P)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who ^(Q)kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, ^(R)the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. ³⁸Behold, ^(S)your house is being left to you desolate! ³⁹For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘^(T)Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

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Footnotes

Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of
Matthew 23:26 If the inside was ritually unclean, the entire vessel was unclean whether the outside was cleaned or not (cf. Num 19:15)
Matthew 23:31 Or descendants
Matthew 23:32 I.e., finish what they started
Matthew 23:33 Or brood
Matthew 23:33 Lit are you to escape
Matthew 23:33 Or judgment
Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna
Matthew 23:35 Or sanctuary

Matthew 23:25-39

New International Version

²⁵“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish,^(A) but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.^(B) ²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

²⁷“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,^(C) which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets^(D) and decorate the graves of the righteous. ³⁰And 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.’ ³¹So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.^(E) ³²Go ahead, then, and complete^(F) what your ancestors started!^(G)

³³“You snakes! You brood of vipers!^(H) How will you escape being condemned to hell?^(I) ³⁴Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;^(J) others you will flog in your synagogues^(K) and pursue from town to town.^(L) ³⁵And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel^(M) to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah,^(N) whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.^(O) ³⁶Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.^(P)

³⁷“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,^(Q) how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,^(R) and you were not willing. ³⁸Look, your house is left to you desolate.^(S) ³⁹For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’^[a]”^(T)