Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

Matthew 23

1 Then Jesus t said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 u "The scribes and the Pharisees v sit on Moses' seat, 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you - w but not what they do. x For they preach, but do not practice. 4 y They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, 1 and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 t They do all their deeds z to be seen by others. For they make a their phylacteries broad and b their fringes long, 6 and they c love the place of honor at feasts and d the best seats in the synagogues 7 and d greetings in e the marketplaces and being called f rabbi 2 by others. 8 g But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are h all brothers. 3 9 i And call no man your father on earth, for j you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, k the Christ. 11 l The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 m Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 "But woe n to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you o shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you p neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 4 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single q proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a r child of s hell 5 as yourselves.

16 "Woe to t you, u blind guides, who say, v '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.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or w the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by x the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or y the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 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 z him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by a heaven swears by b the throne of God and by c him who sits upon it.

23 d "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For e you tithe mint and dill and f cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: g justice and mercy and faithfulness. h These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing i a camel!

25 j "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For k you clean the outside of l the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of m greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of l the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 n "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like o whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and p all uncleanness. 28 So you also q outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of r hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 s "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments 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.' 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are t sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 u Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, v you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to w hell? 34 x Therefore y I send you z prophets and wise men and a scribes, b some of whom you will kill and crucify, and b some you will c flog in your synagogues and d persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all e the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent f Abel to the blood of g Zechariah the son of Barachiah, 6 whom you murdered between h the sanctuary and i the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, j all these things will come upon this generation.

  1. Cross References
    Matthew 23:1 - 2
    Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples.
    Matthew 23:5 - 7
    They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
    Mark 12:38 - 39
    And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces
    Luke 20:45 - 46
    And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples.
    Luke 11:43
    Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
  2. Cross References
    Matthew 23:1 - 2
    Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples.
    Matthew 23:5 - 7
    They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
    Mark 12:38 - 40
    And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces
    Luke 20:45 - 46
    And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples.
  3. Cross References
    Ezra 7:6
    This Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.
    Ezra 7:10
    For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
    Ezra 7:25
    And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach.
    Nehemiah 8:4
    And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
  4. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 17:10 - 11
    Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you.
    John 9:28 - 29
    And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
  5. Cross References
    Matthew 5:20
    For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
    Matthew 15:3 - 13
    He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
  6. Cross References
    Romans 2:17 - 23
    But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God
  7. Cross References
    Luke 11:46
    And he said, "Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
    Matthew 11:28 - 30
    Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
    Acts 15:10
    Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
  8. Cross References
    Matthew 23:1
    Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples.
  9. Cross References
    Matthew 6:1
    Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
    Matthew 6:16
    And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
    John 5:44
    How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 13:9
    And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.
    Deuteronomy 6:8
    You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
    Deuteronomy 11:18
    You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
  11. Cross References
    Matthew 9:20
    And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment.
  12. Cross References
    Luke 14:7 - 8
    Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them.
  13. Cross References
    Luke 11:43
    Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
  14. Cross References
    Matthew 23:6
    And they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
  15. Cross References
    Matthew 11:16
    But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates.
    Matthew 20:3
    And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace.
  16. Cross References
    John 1:38
    Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?
  17. Cross References
    James 3:1
    Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
  18. Cross References
    Luke 22:32
    But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
    John 21:23
    So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?
    Philemon 1:16
    No longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother - especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
  19. Cross References
    1 Corinthians 1:12
    What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ.
    1 Corinthians 3:4
    For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
  20. Cross References
    Matthew 6:9
    Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
    Malachi 1:6
    "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?'
    Matthew 7:11
    If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
  21. Cross References
    Matthew 1:17
    So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
  22. Cross References
    Matthew 20:26
    It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.
  23. Cross References
    Luke 14:11
    For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled...
    Luke 18:14
    I tell you, this man went down to his house jus...
    Matthew 18:4
    Whoever humbles himself like this child is the ...
    Proverbs 29:23
    One's pride will bring him low, but he who is l...
    Ezekiel 21:26
    Thus says the Lord God : Remove the turban and ...
    James 4:6
    But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "Go...
    James 4:10
    Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will ...
    1 Peter 5:5 - 6
    Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to th...
  24. Cross References
    Luke 11:52
    Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.
  25. Cross References
    Matthew 16:19
    I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
  26. Cross References
    Matthew 5:20
    For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
    Matthew 21:31
    Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.
    Luke 7:30
    But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
  27. Cross References
    Acts 2:10
    Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome.
    Acts 6:5
    And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
    Acts 13:43
    And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
  28. Cross References
    John 17:12
    While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
    2 Thessalonians 2:3
    Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
  29. Cross References
    Matthew 5:29
    If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
  30. Cross References
    Matthew 15:14
    Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.
  31. Cross References
    Matthew 23:17
    You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold...
    Matthew 23:19
    You blind men! For which is greater, the gift o...
    Matthew 23:26
    You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of t...
    John 9:39 - 41
    Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this worl...
    Romans 2:19
    And if you are sure that you yourself are a gui...
    2 Peter 1:9
    For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsig...
    Revelation 3:17
    For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I...
  32. Cross References
    Matthew 5:33 - 35
    "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'
  33. Cross References
    Exodus 30:29
    You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.
  34. Cross References
    Matthew 5:23
    So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you.
  35. Cross References
    Exodus 29:37
    Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.
  36. Cross References
    1 Kings 8:13
    I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.
    2 Chronicles 6:2
    But I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.
    Psalms 26:8
    O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
    Psalms 132:14
    This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
  37. Cross References
    Matthew 21:25
    The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?
  38. Cross References
    Matthew 5:34
    But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God.
  39. Cross References
    Revelation 4:2
    At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
  40. Cross References
    Luke 11:42
    But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
  41. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 14:22
    You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.
    Luke 18:12
    I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.
  42. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:25
    When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border?
    Isaiah 28:27
    Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.
  43. Cross References
    Psalms 33:5
    He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
    Jeremiah 5:1
    Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her.
    Micah 6:8
    He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
    Zechariah 7:9
    Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another.
  44. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:22
    And Samuel said, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
  45. Cross References
    Matthew 19:24
    Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
  46. Cross References
    Matthew 23:25 - 28
    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.
    Matthew 15:11 - 20
    It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.
  47. Cross References
    Luke 11:39 - 40
    And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
  48. Cross References
    Mark 7:4
    And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)
  49. Cross References
    Luke 16:14
    The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
    Luke 20:47
    Who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.
  50. Cross References
    Matthew 23:25
    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.
  51. Cross References
    Luke 11:44
    Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.
  52. Cross References
    Acts 23:3
    Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?
  53. Cross References
    Ephesians 5:3
    But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
    Numbers 19:16
    Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
    2 Kings 23:16
    And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things.
  54. Cross References
    Matthew 23:5
    They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
  55. Cross References
    Luke 12:1
    In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
  56. Cross References
    Luke 11:47 - 48
    Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.
  57. Cross References
    Acts 7:51 - 52
    You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
  58. Cross References
    Genesis 15:16
    And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.
    Daniel 8:23
    And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.
    1 Thessalonians 2:15 - 16
    Who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind
  59. Cross References
    Matthew 3:7
    But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
    Matthew 12:34
    You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
  60. Cross References
    Matthew 23:15
    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.
  61. Cross References
    Matthew 23:34 - 36
    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.
    Luke 11:49 - 51
    Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute.
  62. Cross References
    Matthew 10:16
    Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
  63. Cross References
    Acts 13:1
    Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
    1 Corinthians 12:28
    And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
  64. Cross References
    Matthew 13:52
    And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.
  65. Cross References
    Matthew 21:35
    And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
  66. Cross References
    Matthew 21:35
    And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
  67. Cross References
    Matthew 10:17
    Beware of men, for they will deliver you over t...
    Mark 13:9
    But be on your guard. For they will deliver you...
    Luke 21:12
    But before all this they will lay their hands o...
    Acts 22:19
    And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in...
    Acts 26:11
    And I punished them often in all the synagogues...
    Luke 12:11
    And when they bring you before the synagogues a...
  68. Cross References
    Matthew 10:23
    When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
  69. Cross References
    Revelation 18:24
    And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.
  70. Cross References
    Genesis 4:4
    And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.
    Genesis 4:8
    Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
    Hebrews 11:4
    By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
    1 John 3:12
    We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
  71. Cross References
    Zechariah 1:1
    In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying.
  72. Cross References
    Luke 1:9
    According to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
  73. Cross References
    Exodus 40:6
    You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
    2 Kings 16:14
    And the bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar.
    Ezekiel 40:47
    And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, a square. And the altar was in front of the temple.
  74. Cross References
    Matthew 10:23
    When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
    Matthew 16:28
    Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
    Matthew 24:34
    Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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