1 Then addressing the crowds and his disciples Jesus said,
2 'The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses.
3 You must therefore do and observe what they tell you; but do not be guided by what they do, since they do not practise what they preach.
4 They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they!
5 Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader headbands and longer tassels,
6 like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues,
7 being greeted respectfully in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.
8 'You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you are all brothers.
9 You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.
10 Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you must be your servant.
12 Anyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.
13 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut up the kingdom of Heaven in people's faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go who want to.
14
15 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and anyone who becomes one you make twice as fit for hell as you are.
16 'Alas for you, blind guides! You say, "If anyone swears by the Temple, it has no force; but anyone who swears by the gold of the Temple is bound."
17 Fools and blind! For which is of greater value, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?
18 Again, "If anyone swears by the altar it has no force; but anyone who swears by the offering on the altar, is bound."
19 You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred?
20 Therefore, someone who swears by the altar is swearing by that and by everything on it.
21 And someone who swears by the Temple is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it.
22 And someone who swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.
23 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay your tithe of mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law-justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, those not neglected.
24 You blind guides, straining out gnats and swallowing camels!
25 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance.
26 Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that it and the outside are both clean.
27 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of corruption.
28 In just the same way, from the outside you look upright, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the upright,
30 saying, "We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our ancestors' day."
31 So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the children of those who murdered the prophets!
32 Very well then, finish off the work that your ancestors began.
33 'You serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape being condemned to hell?
34 This is why -- look -- I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some you will slaughter and crucify, some you will scourge in your synagogues and hunt from town to town;
35 and so you will draw down on yourselves the blood of every upright person that has been shed on earth, from the blood of Abel the holy to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36 In truth I tell you, it will all recoil on this generation.
37 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused!
38 Look! Your house will be deserted,
39 for, I promise, you shall not see me any more until you are saying: Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord!'
Versículos relacionados com Matthew, 23:
St. Matthew 23 contains a strong condemnation of Jesus to the religious leaders of the time for his hypocrisy and arrogance. He accuses them of imposing heavy burdens on the people as they do not practice what they preach. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in this chapter:
Jeremiah 7:9-10: "They steal and kill, commit adultery and swear falsely; they make offerings to Baal and follow other gods they have not known. And they still come to my temple and profane it, my house is called by them 'sanctuary 'But they turned it into thieves' lady! " - Jesus accuses the religious leaders of hypocrisy for imposing rules and burdens on the people as they commit serious sins themselves.
Proverbs 23:1-3: "When you sit to eat with a ruler, think well what you are in front of you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to many appetites. Do not covet your fine acepipe misleading food. " - Jesus warns that religious leaders are motivated by the desire for personal gain and power rather than taking care of the people.
Isaiah 29:13: "This people approach me with my mouth and honor me with the lips, but their hearts are far from me. The worship that gives me is made only of rules taught by men." - Jesus accuses religious leaders to focus only on the external appearance of religion and not true worship of God.
Ezekiel 34:2-3: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesie and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Woe to the shepherds of Israel who are noticed to themselves! "You eat fat, wearing the wool, degolais the barley, but not the sheep." - Jesus accuses religious leaders not to properly take care of the people, but instead focus on their own comfort and enrichment.
Matthew 6:1-2: "Beware of the practice of justice before others, just to be seen by them. If you act like this, you will have no reward from the heavenly Father. Therefore, when you give alms, do not announce it with trumpets , as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, in order to be honored by others. I assure them that they have already received their full reward. " - Jesus accuses religious leaders of doing good things just to be seen by others rather than having the true motivation to please God.
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