But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he exclaimed, "O vipers' brood, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

For I assure you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will certainly not find entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens.

The Pharisees noticed this, and they inquired of His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with the tax-gatherers and notorious sinners?"

At that time John's disciples came and asked Jesus, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?"

But the Pharisees maintained, "It is by the power of the Prince of the demons that he drives out the demons."

But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, "Look! your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath."

But the Pharisees after leaving the synagogue consulted together against Him, how they might destroy Him.

The Pharisees heard it and said, "This man only expels demons by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of demons."

Then He was accosted by some of the Scribes and of the Pharisees who said, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign given by you."

Then there came to Jesus a party of Pharisees and Scribes from Jerusalem, who inquired,

Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were greatly shocked when they heard those words?"

Here the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Him; and, to make trial of Him, they asked Him to show them a sign in the sky.

and when Jesus said to them, "See to it: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,"

How is it you do not understand that it was not about bread that I spoke to you? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Then they perceived that He had not warned them against bread-yeast, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Then came some of the Pharisees to Him to put Him to the proof by the question, "Has a man a right to divorce his wife whenever he chooses?"

After listening to His parables the High Priests and the Pharisees perceived that He was speaking about them;

Then the Pharisees went and consulted together how they might entrap Him in His conversation.

Now the Pharisees came up when they heard that He had silenced the Sadducees,

While the Pharisees were still assembled there, Jesus put a question to them.

"The Scribes," He said, "and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses.

"But alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you lock the door of the Kingdom of the Heavens against men; you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those to enter who are seeking to do so.

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you scour sea and land in order to win one convert--and when he is gained, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the Law--just judgement, mercy, and faithful dealing. These things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone.

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you wash clean the outside of the cup or dish, while within they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Blind Pharisee, first wash clean the inside of the cup or dish, and then the outside will be clean also.

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are just like whitewashed sepulchres, the outside of which pleases the eye, though inside they are full of dead men's bones and of all that is unclean.

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you repair the sepulchres of the Prophets and keep in order the tombs of the righteous,

On the next day, the day after the Preparation, the High Priests and the Pharisees came in a body to Pilate.

But when the Scribes of the Pharisee sect saw Him eating with the sinners and the tax-gatherers, they said to His disciples, "He is eating and drinking with the tax-gatherers and sinners!"

(Now John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were keeping a fast.)

So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?"

But no sooner had the Pharisees left the synagogue than they held a consultation with the Herodians against Jesus, to devise some means of destroying Him.

Then the Pharisees, with certain Scribes who had come from Jerusalem, came to Him in a body.

(For the Pharisees and all the Jews--being, as they are, zealous for the traditions of the Elders--never eat without first carefully washing their hands,

So the Pharisees and Scribes put the question to Him: "Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the Elders, and eat their food with unclean hands?"

The Pharisees followed Him and began to dispute with Him, asking Him for a sign in the sky, to make trial of Him.

and when He admonished them, "See to it, be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod,"

Presently a party of Pharisees come to Him with the question--seeking to entrap Him, "May a man divorce his wife?"

Their next step was to send to Him some of the Pharisees and of Herod's partisans to entrap Him in conversation.

One day He was teaching, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village in Galilee and Judaea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present for Him to cure people.

Then the Scribes and Pharisees began to cavil, asking, "Who is this, uttering blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?"

This led the Pharisees and Scribes of their party to expostulate with His disciples and ask, "Why are you eating and drinking with these tax-gatherers and notorious sinners?"

Again they said to Him, "John's disciples fast often and pray, as do also those of the pharisees; but yours eat and drink."

And some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what the Law forbids on the Sabbath?"

The Scribes and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath that they might be able to bring an accusation against Him.

But the Pharisees and expounders of the Law have frustrated God's purpose as to their own lives, by refusing to be baptized.

Now one of the Pharisees repeatedly invited Him to a meal at his house; so He entered the house and reclined at the table.

And there was a woman in the town who was a notorious sinner. Having learnt that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee's house she brought a flask of perfume,

Noticing this, the Pharisee, His host, said to himself, "This man, if he were really a Prophet, would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching him--and would know that she is an immoral woman."

When He had thus spoken, a Pharisee invited Him to breakfast at his house; so He entered and took His place at table.

Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting.

The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness.

"But alas for you Pharisees! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others.

Alas for you Pharisees! for you love the best seats in the synagogues, and you like to be bowed to in places of public resort.

After He had left the house, the Scribes and Pharisees commenced a vehement attempt to entangle Him and make Him give off-hand answers on numerous points,

Meanwhile the people had come streaming towards Him by tens of thousands, so that they were trampling one another under foot. And now He proceeded to say to His disciples first, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is to say, beware of hypocrisy.

Just at that time there came some Pharisees who warned Him, saying, "Leave this place and continue your journey; Herod means to kill you."

One day--it was a Sabbath--He was taking a meal at the house of one of the Rulers of the Pharisee party, while they were closely watching Him.

This led Jesus to ask the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it allowable to cure people on the Sabbath?"

and this led the Pharisees and the Scribes indignantly to complain, saying, "He gives a welcome to notorious sinners, and joins them at their meals!"

To all this the Pharisees listened, bitterly jeering at Him; for they were lovers of money.

Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered, "The Kingdom of God does not so come that you can stealthily watch for it.

"Two men went up to the Temple to pray," He said; "one being a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer.

The Pharisee, standing erect, prayed as follows by himself: "'O God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people--I am not a thief nor a cheat nor an adulterer, nor do I even resemble this tax-gatherer.

Thereupon some of the Pharisees in the crowd appealed to Him, saying, "Rabbi, reprove your disciples."

They were Pharisees who had been sent.

Now there was one of the Pharisees whose name was Nicodemus--a ruler among the Jews.

Now as soon as the Master was aware that the Pharisees had heard it said, "Jesus is gaining and baptizing more disciples than John"--

The Pharisees heard the people thus expressing their various doubts about Him, and the High Priests and the Pharisees sent some officers to apprehend Him.

Meanwhile the officers returned to the High Priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why have you not brought him?"

"Are *you* deluded too?" replied the Pharisees;

"has any one of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?

and was teaching them when the Scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been found committing adultery. They made her stand in the centre of the court, and they put the case to Him.

"You are giving testimony about yourself," said the Pharisees; "your testimony is not true."

They brought him to the Pharisees--the man who had been blind.

So the Pharisees renewed their questioning as to how he had obtained his sight. "He put clay on my eyes," he replied, "and I washed, and now I can see."

This led some of the Pharisees to say, "That man has not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." "How is it possible for a bad man to do such miracles?" argued others.

These words were heard by those of the Pharisees who were present, and they asked Him, "Are *we* also blind?"

though some of them went off to the Pharisees and told them what He had done.

Therefore the High Priests and the Pharisees held a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What steps are we taking?" they asked one another; "for this man is performing a great number of miracles.

Now the High Priests and the Pharisees had issued orders that if any one knew where He was, he should give information, so that they might arrest Him.

The result was that the Pharisees said among themselves, "Observe how idle all your efforts are! The world is gone after him!"

Nevertheless even from among the Rulers many believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not avow their belief, for fear they should be shut out from the synagogue.

So Judas, followed by the battalion and by a detachment of the Temple police sent by the High Priests and Pharisees, came there with torches and lamps and weapons.

But a Pharisee of the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, held in honour by all the people, rose from his seat and requested that they should be sent outside the court for a few minutes.

But certain men who had belonged to the sect of the Pharisees but were now believers, stood up in the assembly, and said, "Yes, Gentile believers ought to be circumcised and be ordered to keep the Law of Moses."

Noticing, however, that the Sanhedrin consisted partly of Sadducees and partly of Pharisees, he called out loudly among them, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. It is because of my hope of a resurrection of the dead that I am on my trial."

These words of his caused an angry dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly took different sides.

For the Sadducees maintain that there is no resurrection, and neither angel nor spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge the existence of both.

So there arose a great uproar; and some of the Scribes belonging to the sect of the Pharisees sprang to their feet and fiercely contended, saying, "We find no harm in the man. What if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel----!"

For they all know me of old--if they would but testify to the fact--how, being an adherent of the strictest sect of our religion, my life was that of a Pharisee.

circumcised, as I was, on the eighth day, a member of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew sprung from Hebrews; as to the Law a Pharisee;