Matthew 23:13-28 - Jesus Condemns Their Hypocrisy
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.
14 [Verse 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.