New Living Translation NLT
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 religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.
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“The legal experts and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat.
3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.
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Therefore, you must take care to do everything they say. But don't do what they do.
4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.
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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 for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.
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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 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.
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They love to sit in places of honor at banquets.
7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’
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They love to be greeted with honor in the markets and to be addressed as ‘Rabbi.'
8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.
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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 don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.
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Don't call anybody on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is heavenly.
10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.
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Don't be called teacher, because Christ is your one teacher.
11 The greatest among you must be a servant.
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But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant.
12 But 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 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.
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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.
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15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves 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 “Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’
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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 Blind fools! Which is more important—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 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding.
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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 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar 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 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing 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 when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives 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 when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.
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Those who swear by heaven swear by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
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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 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
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You blind guides! You filter out an ant but swallow a camel.
25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—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 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.
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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 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.
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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 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
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In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion.
29 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.
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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 Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing 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 “But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed 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 and finish what your ancestors started.
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Go ahead, complete what your ancestors did.
33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of 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 wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.
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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 As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary 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 I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.
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I assure you that all these things will come upon this generation.
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
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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 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.
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Look, your house is left to you deserted.
39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the !’ ”
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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."