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Common English Bible CEB
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
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Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples,
2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
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“The legal experts and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat.
3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
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Therefore, you must take care to do everything they say. But don't do what they do.
4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
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For they tie together heavy packs that are impossible to carry. They put them on the shoulders of others, but are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacterieswide and the tassels on their garments long;
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Everything they do, they do to be noticed by others. They make extra-wide prayer bands for their arms and long tassels for their clothes.
6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
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They love to sit in places of honor at banquets.
7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
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They love to be greeted with honor in the markets and to be addressed as ‘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 shouldn't be called Rabbi, because you have one teacher, and all of you are brothers and sisters.
9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
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Don't call anybody on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is heavenly.
10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.
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Don't be called teacher, because Christ is your one teacher.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
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But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant.
12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
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All who lift themselves up will be brought low. But all who make themselves low will be lifted up.
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
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“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don't enter yourselves, and you won't allow those who want to enter to do so.
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
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“How terrible it will be for you, legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make one convert. But when they've been converted, they become twice the child of hell you are.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’
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“How terrible it will be for you blind guides who say, ‘If people swear by the temple, it's nothing. But if people swear by the gold in the temple, they are obligated to do what they swore.'
17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
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You foolish and blind people! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy?
18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’
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You say, ‘If people swear by the altar, it's nothing. But if they swear by the gift on the altar, they are obligated to do what they swore.'
19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
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You blind people! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
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Therefore, those who swear by the altar swear by it and by everything that's on it.
21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
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Those who swear by the temple swear by it and by everything that's part of it.
22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
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Those who swear by heaven swear by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
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“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You give to God a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget about the more important matters of the Law: justice, peace, and faith. You ought to give a tenth but without forgetting about those more important matters.
24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
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You blind guides! You filter out an ant but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
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“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of violence and pleasure seeking.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
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Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup so that the outside of the cup will be clean too.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
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“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth.
28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
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In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
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“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
30 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.’
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You say, ‘If we had lived in our ancestors' days, we wouldn't have joined them in killing the prophets.'
31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
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You testify against yourselves that you are children of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
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Go ahead, complete what your ancestors did.
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
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You snakes! You children of snakes! How will you be able to escape the judgment of hell?
34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
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Therefore, look, I'm sending you prophets, wise people, and legal experts. Some of them you will kill and crucify. And some you will beat in your synagogues and chase from city to city.
35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
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Therefore, upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been poured out on the earth, from the blood of that righteous man Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.
36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
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I assure you that all these things will come upon this generation.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
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"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you. How often I wanted to gather your people together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn't want that.
38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.
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Look, your house is left to you deserted.
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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I tell you, you won't see me until you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord's name."
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible