1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. 2»The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,« he said. 3»Obey everything they teach you, but do not follow their example. They say one thing and do something else. 4»They chain heavy burdens on your shoulders. Yet they are unwilling to lift even a finger to carry these same burdens. 5»They do everything to be seen by men. For example: they enlarge their scripture cases for their foreheads and lengthen the tassels on their garments. 6»They love the place of honor at banquets and the prominent seats in the synagogues. 7»They require recognition in public places and insist on being called Rabbi by men. 8»Do not be called Rabbi masterteacherleader, for only one is your teacher. You are all brothers. 9»Call no man your father on the earth, for only one is your Father in heaven. 10»Do not be called master teacherleader, for only one is your master, and he is Christ. 11»The greatest among you will be your servant. 12»He who exalts himself will be humbled. He who humbles himself will be exalted. 13»Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You close the kingdom of heaven to people. You do not invite others to enter nor do you enter. 14Verse not found in oldest manuscripts. 15»Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel on both sea and land to make one convert. When this happens, you make him twice as deserving of destruction in the trash fires of the valley of Hinnom Greek: Gehenna. 16»Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, ‘When you swear by the temple, it is nothing.’ Then you say, ‘When you swear by the gold of the temple, you are obligated.’ 17»You fools! You blind men! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18»‘When you swear by an altar, you owe nothing. When you swear by the gift left on the altar, you are obligated. 19»You blind men! What is more important, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20»He who swears by the altar, swears by it and everything on it. 21»He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him that dwells within it. 22»Thus, he who swears by heaven also swears by the throne of God and him who sits on it. 23»Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith. You should do both and leave nothing undone. 24»You blind guides! You strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! 25»Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, yet the inside is full of extortion and excess. 26»You are blind. Clean the inside of the cup and platter first. Then clean the outside. 27»Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside. They are full of dead men’s bones and uncleanness on the inside. 28»You appear righteous to men. However, inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 29»Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous. 30»You claim that you would not have been involved with your fathers when they spilled the blood of the prophets. 31»You witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32»Fill up the guilt measure of your fathers. 33»You serpents! You offspring of vipers! How will you escape from being destroyed in the ever-burning fires of the Valley of Hinnom? Greek: Gehenna, the trash fires in the valley just outside of Jerusalem 34»Look! I am sending you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will torture and kill. Others you will torment and persecute from city to city. 35»You are responsible for all the righteous blood shed on earth. That includes the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. 36»I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation those living at that time. 37»Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone the messengers who are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings. But you were not willing! 38»Behold, your house is left desolate. 39»I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he that comes in the name of Jehovah.’« (Psalm 118:26)