Matthew 23
23
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples: 2“The religious teachers and the Pharisees are responsible as interpreters of the law of Moses,#23:2. Literally, “sit in Moses' seat.” 3so obey them and do everything they tell you. But don't follow what they do, because they don't practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy burdens, and place them on people's shoulders, but they themselves don't lift a finger to help them. 5Everything they do is to make sure they get noticed. They make themselves large prayer boxes#23:5. Or “phylacteries.” These were leather boxes tied to the forehead and arms containing written texts: Exodus 13:1-6 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21. to wear and long tassels on their clothes.#23:5. These tassels were to show their devotion to God. See Numbers 15:37-41. 6They love to have the places of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues. 7They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and for people to call them, ‘Rabbi.’#23:7 This is a Hebrew word meaning “my great one,” and was used as a term of respect for religious teachers.
8Don't let people call you ‘Rabbi.’ Only one is your Master Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9Don't call anyone by the title ‘Father’ here on earth. Only one is your Father, who is in heaven. 10Don't let people call you ‘Teacher.’ Only one is your Teacher, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12Those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.
13But what a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You slam shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves don't go in, yet you don't let anyone in who is trying to enter. 14#23:14. Verse 14 is not in the most reliable early manuscripts. 15What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel over land and sea to make a single convert, and when you do, you make him twice a son of Gehenna#23:15. “Gehenna” (see under 5:22). The emphasis here is on the destiny of the wicked. as you are yourselves. 16What a disaster is coming on those of you who say, ‘If you swear by the Temple that doesn't count, but if you swear by the gold of the Temple, then you have to keep your oath.’ What blind guides you are! 17What is greater—the gold, or the Temple that makes the gold holy? 18You say, ‘If you swear on the altar that doesn't count, but if you swear on the sacrifice that's on the altar, then you have to keep your oath.’ 19How foolish and blind you are! What is greater—the sacrifice, or the altar that makes the sacrifice holy? 20If you swear by the altar, you swear by it and by everything that's on it. 21If you swear by the Temple you swear by it and by the one who lives there. 22If you swear by heaven you swear by the throne of God and the one who sits there.
23What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay a tithe of mint, aniseed, and cumin, but you neglect the vital aspects of the law—doing good, showing mercy, exercising trust. Yes, you should pay your tithe, but don't forget these other things. 24You blind guides—you strain what you drink to keep out a fly but then you swallow a camel!
25What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you're full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside will also be clean.
27What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, looking good on the outside, but on the inside full of skeletons and all kinds of rottenness.#23:27. Literally, “uncleanness.” 28You're just the same. On the outside you look like good people to others, but on the inside you're full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs as memorials to the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the good, 30and you say, ‘If we had lived in the times of our ancestors we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31But by saying this you testify against yourselves, proving that you belong to those who murdered the prophets! 32So get on with it—finish it all off using your forefathers' methods! 33You snakes, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?#23:33. “Gehenna” (see under 5:22). Referring to the end-time judgment.
34That's why I'm sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers. Some of them you will kill, some of them you will crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, hunting them from town to town. 35As a result, you will be held accountable for the blood of all the good people that has been poured out on the land—from the blood of Abel, who did what was right, to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the Temple and the altar.
36I'm telling you, the consequences of all this will fall on this generation. 37Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! So often I wanted to gather your children as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you wouldn't let me. 38Now look—your house#23:38. The word house may refer to the Temple. is left abandoned, totally empty. 39I tell you this: you won't see me from now on until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”#23:39. Quoting Psalms 118:26.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 23
23
1Then יהושע spoke to the crowds and to His taught ones,
2saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Mosheh.
3Therefore, whatever they#Four of eleven available Shem Toḇ texts read “he says”, referring to Mosheh, instead of “they say”, referring to the Pharisees. say to you to guard, guard and do. But do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do.
4“For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but with their finger they do not wish to move them.
5And they do all their works to be seen by men, and they make their t’fillen#See Explanatory Notes - "T’fillen". wide and lengthen the tzitzit#See Explanatory Notes - "Tzitzit" and Num. 15:37-41; Deu. 22:12 of their garments,
6and they love the best place at feasts, and the best seats in the congregations,
7and the greetings in the market-places, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’#Rabbi - A Semitic term literally meaning “My Great One.”
8“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Teacher, the Messiah, and you are all brothers.
9“And do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in the heavens.
10“Neither be called leaders, for One is your Leader, the Messiah.
11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant.
12“And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
13“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for you do not go in, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you eat up widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. Because of this you shall receive greater judgment.
15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you go about the land and the sea to win one convert, and when he is won, you make him a son of GĕHinnom twofold more than yourselves.
16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the Dwelling Place, it does not matter, but whoever swears by the gold of the Dwelling Place, is bound by oath.’
17Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the Dwelling Place that sets the gold apart?”
18“And, ‘Whoever swears by the slaughter-place, it does not matter, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, is bound by oath.’
19Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the slaughter-place that sets the gift apart?”
20“He, then, who swears by the slaughter-place, swears by it and by all that is upon it.
21“And he who swears by the Dwelling Place, swears by it and by Him who is dwelling in it.
22“And he who swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of Elohim and by Him who is sitting upon it.
23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe the mint and the anise and the cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: the right-ruling and the compassion and the belief.#The wording in Luke 11:42 is somewhat different. These need to have been done, without neglecting the others.
24“Blind guides – straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are filled with plunder and unrighteousness.
26“Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside of them becomes clean too.
27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly indeed look well, but inside are filled with dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28“So you too outwardly indeed appear righteous to men, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.#See Mat. 5:20
29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who did murder the prophets –
32and you fill up the measure of your fathers!
33“Serpents, brood of adders! How would you escape the judgment of GĕHinnom?
34“Because of this, see, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scholars of Scripture.#See Mat. 13:52 Some of them you shall kill and impale, and some of them you shall flog in your congregations and persecute from city to city,
35so that on you should come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Heḇel to the blood of Zeḵaryah, son of Bereḵyah, whom you murdered between the Dwelling Place and the slaughter-place.
36Truly, I say to you, all this shall come upon this generation.#Or ‘race’.
37“Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her! How often I wished to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not!
38See! Your house is left to you laid waste,# Jer. 22:5
39for I say to you, from now on you shall by no means see Me, until you say, ‘Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה!’ ”# Psa. 118:26
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