[Matthew 23]

 

             {Mar 12:38-40 & Mat 23:1-39 & Luk 20:45-47 Courts of the Temple, Tues.}

             ^23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, ^23:2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sat upon the seat of Moses. ^23:3 Therefore, all things, as many things as they would say for you^° to keep, keep^° and do^*°, but do^*° not do them according-to their works; for^* they say and are not doing^*. ^23:4 For^* they bind burdensome and unbearable loads, and place them upon the shoulders of men, but they are not willing to move them even with their finger. ^23:5 And they are practicing all their works in-order-to be seen by men. And they widen their phylacteries and magnify the hems of their garments, ^23:6 and they love the foremost-place in the suppers and the foremost seats in the synagogues, ^23:7 and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called by men, Rabbi, rabbi. ^23:8 But do^° not be called rabbi; for^* only one is your^° leader, the Christ, and you^° are all brethren. ^23:9 And do^° not call anyone your^° father upon the earth; for^* only one is your^° Father, the one in the heavens; ^23:10 nor be called leaders; for^* only one is your^° leader: the Christ. ^23:11 But the greater of you^° will be your^° servant. ^23:12 But whoevers exalts himself, he will be humbled. And whoever humbles himself, he will be exalted by God.

 

             {Mat 23:13 & 23:14 are flipped in various Greek texts.}

             ^23:13 But woe to you^°, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^° are devouring the houses of the widows, {i.e., scam widows.} and praying long prayers for a pretext, because of this, you^° will be receiving even-more condemnation.

             ^23:14 Woe to you^°, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^° lock the kingdom of the heavens before men; for^* you^° are not entering in yourselves, nor are you^° allowing the ones entering, to enter either.

             ^23:15 Woe to you^°, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^° proceed all around the sea and the dry land to make^* one Jewish-convert, and whenever he has become one, you^° are making^* him double the son of hell as you^° are.

             ^23:16 Woe to you^°, blind guides, the ones saying, Whoever should swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever should swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated. ^23:17 Foolish and blind! For^* what is greater, the gold, or the temple which makes the gold holy? ^23:18 And, Whoever should swear by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever should swear by the gift which is upon it, he is obligated. ^23:19 You^° are foolish and blind; for^* what is greater, the gift, or the altar which makes the gift holy? ^23:20 Therefore, the one who swore by the altar, swears by it and by all things upon it. ^23:21 And the one who swore by the temple, swears by it, and by the one who dwelt in it. ^23:22 And the one who swore by the heaven, swears by the throne of God, and in the one who is sitting upon it.

             ^23:23 Woe to you^°, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^° tithe the mint and the dill and the cumin, and yet you^° left behind the weighty things of the law: the judgment and the mercy and the faith. It was essential for you^° to practice these, and not to leave those undone. ^23:24 Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

             ^23:25 Woe to you^°, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^° cleanse the outside of the cup and the plate, but they are full from ravening and unrighteousness inside. ^23:26 Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the cup from within and the plate, in-order-that the outside of them might also become clean.

             ^23:27 Woe to you^°, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^° are similar to whitewashed burial chambers, which on the outside indeed appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men’s bones, and full of all uncleanness. ^23:28 So on the outside you^° indeed appear also righteous to men, but inside, you^° are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

             ^23:29 Woe to you^°, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^° build the burial chambers of the prophets and adorn the tombs of the righteous, ^23:30 and say, If we were in the days of our fathers, we would have not been their partners in the blood of the prophets. ^23:31 So-then you^° are testifying to yourselves, You^° are sons of the ones who murdered the prophets. ^23:32 And you^°, fill^° up the measure of your^° fathers. ^23:33 Serpents, offsprings of vipers! How may you^° flee from the judgment of hell? ^23:34 Because of this, behold, I am sending to you^° prophets and wise men and scribes, and you^° will be killing and will be crucifying some out-of them, and you^° will be scourging in your^° synagogues and will be persecuting from city to city some out-of them, ^23:35 so ^*that upon you^° should come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous {Gen 4:8} until the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you^° murdered between the temple and the altar. {2Ch 24:21?} ^23:36 Assuredly I am saying to you^°, All these things will be coming upon this generation.

 

             ^23:37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones the ones who have been sent to her! How-often I willed to gather together your children in the manner a bird gathers together her brood under her own wings, and you^° did not will it! ^23:38 Behold, your^° house is left to you^° desolate; ^23:39 for^* I say to you^°, You^° should never see me from now on, until you^° should say, The one coming in the name of the Lord has been blessed. {Psa 118:26}