(New Testament | Matthew 23:Heading - 29)
CHAPTER 23
Jesus pronounces woes upon the scribes and Pharisees—The blood of the prophets shall be required at their hands—They shall not escape the damnation of hell.
1 THEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The ascribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' bseat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but
do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. (ie, they make others work to support them - they don't support themselves, they live off the labor of others)
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they amake broad their bphylacteries, and enlarge the cborders of their garments,
6 And love the auppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, aRabbi.
8 But be not ye called aRabbi: for one is your bMaster, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 aAnd call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, aeven Christ.
11 But he that is agreatest among you shall be your bservant.
12 And whosoever shall aexalt himself shall be babased; and he that shall chumble himself shall be exalted.
13 ¶ But woe unto you, ascribes and bPharisees, chypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye adevour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater bdamnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell athan yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye ablind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, ahypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and canise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.a
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are
full of extortion and excess.
Definition of EXTORTION
Extortion (also called shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offenceunlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person(s), entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called which occurs when a person
protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime groups.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, acleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto awhited bsepulchres, which indeed appear cbeautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all duncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear arighteous unto men, but within ye are full of bhypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,