English Standard Version ESV
New Revised Standard NRS
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
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Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,
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"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;
3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you--but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
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therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.#rl
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They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
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They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
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They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
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and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
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But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
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And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven.
10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
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Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
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The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
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All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
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"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
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"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.'
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
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You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?
18 And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.'
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And you say, "Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.'
19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
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How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred
20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
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So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it;
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.#rl
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and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it
22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
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and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
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You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
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You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
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So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,
30 saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
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and 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.'
31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
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Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
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Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
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You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?
34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
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Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,
35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
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so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.#rl
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Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation
37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!
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"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
38 See, your house is left to you desolate.
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See, your house is left to you, desolate.
39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
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For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' "
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.