Matthew - Chapter 23
1 Then Yeshua conversed with the multitude and with his talmidim, 2 and said to them: "The Scribes and Pharisees sit upon the seat of Mosha. 3 Therefore, everything they instruct you to observe, you shall observe and do. But you should not imitate their deeds; for they talk, and do not act*. 4 They bind heavy burdens and place them on the shoulders of the sons of men; but do not have the desire to touch them with their fingers. 5 And all their deeds they do, so that they might be seen by the sons of men; for they make their tefillin wide, and extend the length of their tekhelet on their robes. 6 And they love the highest couches at suppers and the primary seats at the assembly, 7 and a greeting in the streets, and to be addressed by men as "my great one".
8 But you should not be called "my great one"; for one is your Great One, and you are all brothers. 9 And you should not call yourselves 'father' on earth as do these, for one is your Father, who is in heaven. 10 And you should not be called 'leaders' as do these, for one is your Leader, the Mshikha. Do not consider anyone such as these as your father or your leader. 11 But he who is greatest among you, let him be to you as a minister. 12 For whoever exalts himself, will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself, will be exalted.
13 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you completely consume the houses of widows, under the cover of lengthening your prayers. Due to this you shall receive greater judgment.
14 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut up the Kingdom of heaven closed before the sons of men; for you do not enter yourselves, and those that would enter you do not allow to enter.
15 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cross sea and land so that you might make a single proselyte, and when he has become such, you make him into a son of Gehinnom twice more than yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, you blind guides, for you say: 'Whoever swears by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold that is in the temple, he is guilty.' 17 All of you are blind fools! Which is greater, the gold, or the Temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And [[you say:]] 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering upon it, he is guilty.' 19 All of you are blind fools! Which is greater, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20 Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all the things that are upon it. 21 And whoever swears by the Temple, swears by it, and by He who dwells in it. 22 Whoever swears by heaven, swears by throne of God, and by Him that sits upon it.
23 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint, and dill, and cummin, and omit the more important matters of Torah, [[which are]] judgment, and mercy, and fidelity. For these things you should have done, and you should not have forgotten. 24 Blind guides! You strain the gnats, and swallow the camels.
25 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, while within they are full of extortion and sin. 26 Blind Pharisees, you cleanse first the inside of the cup and the platter so that their outside may also be clean.
27 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like white sepulchres, which appear beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they are filled with the bones of the dead and of all uncleanness. 28 So you also, on the outside, appear to the sons of men as tzadikim; but on the inside you are filled with hypocrisy and with the bones of the dead*.
29 "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you build the tombs of the prophets and you adorn the sepulchres of the tzadikim; 30 and you say: 'If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been participants in the blood of the prophets.'
31 "Therefore you witness against yourselves, that you are the sons of those that murdered the prophets. 32 And you also fill up the measure of your fathers.*
33 "Serpents, offspring of vipers! How will you flee from the judgment of Gehinnom? 34 Therefore, behold! I will send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; some of them you will murder and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your assemblies, and will chase them from city to city, 35 so that upon you will come all the blood of the righteous, which has been shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah bar Barachiah*, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, that all these things will come upon this generation.
37 "O Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, murderess of the prophets, and stoner of those that are sent to you! How often I have desired to gather your children like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not desire it. 38 Behold, your house is left to you deserted! 39 For I say to you, that you will not see me from this time forth, until you say: 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of Mar-Yah.'"