谴责律法教师和法利赛人
1随后，耶稣对百姓和门徒说： 2“律法教师和法利赛人坐在摩西的位子上讲授律法。 3你们要谨遵他们的教导，但不要效法他们的行为，因为他们言行不一。 4他们捆好重担放在别人肩上，而自己连一根指头也不肯动！
5“他们的所作所为是为了给人看的，他们把额上佩戴的经文盒子加宽了，又将衣裳的穗边加长了。 6他们喜欢宴席中的上座和会堂里的首位。 7他们喜欢别人在街市上问候他们，称呼他们为老师23:7 “老师”希腊文是“拉比”，特指犹太教的老师。。 8但你们不要让别人称呼你们为老师，因为你们只有一位老师，你们彼此都是弟兄。 9不要称呼地上的人为父亲，因为你们只有一位父亲，祂在天上。 10不要让人称你们为导师，因为你们只有一位导师——基督。 11你们当中谁最伟大，谁就要做你们的仆人。 12自高的人必遭贬抑，谦卑的人必得尊荣。
13“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！因为你们当着人们的面关闭天国之门，自己不进去，也不让别人进去。
14“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！因为你们侵吞寡妇的财产，还假意做冗长的祷告。因此，你们会受到更严厉的刑罚。23:14 有些古卷无：“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！因为你们侵吞寡妇的财产，还假意做冗长的祷告。因此，你们会受到更严厉的刑罚。”
15“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！因为你们走遍海洋和陆地去引人入教，等人入了教，却使他沦为地狱之子，比你们还坏一倍。
16“瞎眼的向导啊，你们有祸了！你们说，‘指着圣殿发誓，不算数；但是指着圣殿里的金子发誓，就要遵守誓言。’ 17无知的瞎子啊！金子重要呢？还是使金子神圣的圣殿重要呢？ 18你们又说，‘指着祭坛发誓不算数，但是指着坛上的供物发誓，就要遵守誓言。’ 19瞎眼的人啊！供物重要呢？还是使供物神圣的祭坛重要呢？ 20其实指着祭坛发誓，就是指着祭坛和坛上的一切东西发誓。 21指着圣殿发誓，就是指着圣殿和住在里面的上帝发誓。 22指着天发誓，就是指着上帝的宝座和坐在宝座上的那位发誓。
23“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！你们把薄荷、茴香、芹菜献上十分之一，却忽略了律法中更重要的事——公正、怜悯、信实。后者是你们本该做的，前者也不可忽略。 24瞎眼的向导啊！你们滤出蚊虫，却吞下骆驼。
25“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！你们洗净杯盘的外面，里面却盛满了贪婪和放纵。 26瞎眼的法利赛人啊！要先洗净杯盘的里面，好让外面也干净。23:26 意思是：“里面的思想先干净了，外在的言行才会真正干净。”
27“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！你们好像粉饰的坟墓，外表好看，里面却装满了死人的骨头和各样污秽之物。 28你们虚有公义的外表，内心却充满了各种的虚伪和罪恶。
29“虚伪的律法教师和法利赛人啊，你们有祸了！你们为先知建墓，为义人修碑，并且说， 30‘如果我们活在我们祖先的时代，绝不会和他们一起去杀害先知。’ 31这样，你们自己证明自己是杀害先知之人的后代。 32去填满你们祖先的罪恶吧！ 33你们这些蛇，这些毒蛇的后代啊，你们怎能逃脱地狱的刑罚呢？
34“看啊，我派先知、智者和律法教师到你们当中，有的会遭到你们的杀害，被你们钉在十字架上；有的会在会堂里被你们鞭打，被你们从这城追到那城。 35因此，所有义人在地上所流的血，就是从义人亚伯的血，直到你们在圣所和祭坛之间所杀的巴拉加的儿子撒迦利亚的血，都要归到你们身上。 36我实在告诉你们，这一切的罪责都要归到这个世代。
为耶路撒冷哀叹
37“耶路撒冷啊！耶路撒冷啊！你常杀害先知，又用石头打死派到你那里的使者。我多次想要招聚你的儿女，像母鸡将小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，可是你们却不肯。 38看啊！你们的家园将一片荒凉。 39我告诉你们，从现在起，直到你们说‘奉主名来的当受称颂’那天之前，你们再也见不到我了。”
A Warning Against Doing Things for the Wrong Reasons
1Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat,” he said. 3“So you must be careful to do everything they say. But don’t do what they do. They don’t practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry. Then they put them on other people’s shoulders. But they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them.
5“Everything they do is done for others to see. On their foreheads and arms they wear little boxes that hold Scripture verses. They make the boxes very wide. And they make the tassels on their coats very long. 6They love to sit down in the place of honor at dinners. They also love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. 7They love to be greeted with respect in the markets. They love it when people call them ‘Rabbi.’
8“But you shouldn’t be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9Do not call anyone on earth ‘father.’ You have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10You shouldn’t be called ‘teacher.’ You have one Teacher, and he is the Messiah. 11The most important person among you will be your servant. 12People who lift themselves up will be made humble. And people who make themselves humble will be lifted up.
How Terrible for the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13-14“How terrible it will be for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter. And you will not let those enter who are trying to.
15“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You travel everywhere to win one person to your faith. Then you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16“How terrible for you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone makes a promise in the name of the temple, it means nothing. But anyone who makes a promise in the name of the gold of the temple must keep that promise.’ 17You are blind and foolish! Which is more important? Is it the gold? Or is it the temple that makes the gold holy? 18You also say, ‘If anyone makes a promise in the name of the altar, it means nothing. But anyone who makes a promise in the name of the gift on the altar must keep that promise.’ 19You are blind! Which is more important? Is it the gift? Or is it the altar that makes the gift holy? 20So anyone making a promise in the name of the altar makes a promise in the name of it and everything on it. 21And anyone making a promise in the name of the temple makes a promise in the name of it and the one who lives in it. 22And anyone making a promise in the name of heaven makes a promise in the name of God’s throne and the one who sits on it.
23“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You give God a tenth of your spices, like mint, dill and cumin. But you have not practiced the more important things of the law, which are fairness, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the last things without failing to do the first. 24You blind guides! You remove the smallest insect from your food. But you swallow a whole camel!
25“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You clean the outside of a cup and dish. But on the inside you are full of greed. You only want to satisfy yourselves. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish. Then the outside will also be clean.
27“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You are like tombs that are painted white. They look beautiful on the outside. But on the inside they are full of the bones of the dead. They are also full of other things that are not pure and ‘clean.’ 28It is the same with you. On the outside you seem to be doing what is right. But on the inside you are full of what is wrong. You pretend to be what you are not.
29“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You build tombs for the prophets. You decorate the graves of the godly. 30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of those who lived before us, we wouldn’t have done what they did. We wouldn’t have helped to kill the prophets.’ 31So you are witnesses against yourselves. You admit that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets. 32So go ahead and finish the sins that those who lived before you started!
33“You nest of poisonous snakes! How will you escape from being sentenced to hell? 34So I am sending you prophets, wise people, and teachers. You will kill some of them. You will nail some to a cross. Others you will whip in your synagogues. You will chase them from town to town. 35So you will pay for all the godly people’s blood spilled on earth. I mean from the blood of godly Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berekiah. Zechariah was the one you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36What I’m about to tell you is true. All this will happen to those who are now living.
37“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones in order to kill those who are sent to you. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. And you would not let me! 38Look, your house is left empty. 39I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” (Psalm 118:26)
