Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

Luke 11

37 And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him, and he went in and sat down to food. 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. 39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. 40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? 41 But rather give alms {lit. do acts of mercy} of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs and pass over the judgment and the charity of God; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the first seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets. 44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which are not seen, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said unto him, Master, saying these things, thou dost reproach us also. 46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye burden men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and others they shall persecute: 50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple; verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and those that were entering in, ye hindered.

53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently and to provoke him to speak of many things, 54 laying wait for him and seeking to catch something out of his mouth that they might accuse him.

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