Thematic Bible: Satire


Thematic Bible



The scholars and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. All things therefore, however many they may tell you to observe, observe and do, but do not ye according to their works, for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and difficult to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they do not want to move them with their finger. read more.
But all their works they do in order to be seen by men. And they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the hems of their garments. And they love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces, and to be designated by men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be ye not designated Rabbi, for one is your leader, the Christ, and ye are all brothers. And do not designate a father of you upon the earth, for one is your Father, he in the heavens. And be ye not designated leaders, for one is your leader, the Christ. But the greater of you will be your helper. And he who will exalt himself will be made low, and he who will make himself low will be exalted. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye close up the kingdom of the heavens ahead of men. For ye enter not in, nor do ye allow those who are entering to enter in. But woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye devour widows' houses, and praying long in pretence. Because of this ye will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye encompass the sea and the land to make one proselyte, and when it happens, ye make him twice more a son of hell than yourselves. Woe to you, ye blind guides, who say, Whoever may swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And, Whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gift upon it, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it. And he who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law--justice and mercy and faith. These things must be done, and not neglecting t Ye blind guides, who strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside they are full of plunder and unrighteousness. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, so that the outside of them may also become clean. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. In this way also, ye indeed outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. So then ye testify to yourselves that ye are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Then fill ye up the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how will ye escape from the damnation of hell?

And they send some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to him, so that they might catch him in talk. And when they came, they say to him, Teacher, we have seen that thou are true, and it is not a care to thee about any man, for thou look not to a personage of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permitted to give tribute Should we give, or should we not give? But Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why do ye test me? Bring me a denarius, so that I may see it. read more.
And they brought it. And he says to them, Whose is this image and inscription? And they said to him, Caesar's. And having answered, Jesus said to them, Render the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God. And they marveled at him. And Sadducees come to him, who say there is no resurrection. And they questioned him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote to us, If a man's brother dies, and leaves behind a wife, and leaves no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed for his brother. There were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither did he leave seed behind, and the third likewise. And the seven took her, and left no seed. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as wife. And having answered, Jesus said to them, Are ye not led astray because of this: not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as agents in the heavens. But about the dead, that they rise, have ye not read in the book of Moses, how God spoke to him at the bush, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but God of the living. Ye therefore are much misled. And one of the scholars having come, having heard them disputing, knowing that he had answered them well, he questioned him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, thou Israel, Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shall love Lord thy God from thy whole heart, and from thy whole soul, and from thy whole mind, and from thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And this second is similar, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these. And the scholar said to him, Well, teacher. Thou spoke in truth that he is one, and there is no other but he. And to love him from the whole heart, and from the whole understanding, and from the whole soul, and from the whole strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw him, that he answered wisely, he said to him, Thou are not far from the kingdom of God. And no man dared to question him any more. And having responded as he taught in the temple, Jesus said, How do the scholars say that the Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by Holy Spirit, The Lord says to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I may place thine enemies a footstool of thy feet. David himself therefore calls him Lord, and in what way is he his son? And the great multitude heard him gladly. And in his teaching he said to them, Look away from the scholars, those who desire to go about in long robes, and salutations in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at the feasts, those who devour widows' houses, and praying long in pretence. These will receive greater condemnation.

And the Lord said to him, Now ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your interior is full of plundering and wickedness. Ye foolish men, did not he who made the outside also make the inside? But give compassion, things that are inside, and behold, all things are clean to you. read more.
But woe to you Pharisees! Because ye tithe mint and rue and every plant, and pass by justice and the love of God. It is necessary to do these things, and not to neglect those things. Woe to you Pharisees! Because ye love the place of honor in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like the unseen sepulchers, and the men who walk over them do not know. And having answered, a certain man of the lawyers says to him, Teacher, in saying these things thou rebuke us also. And he said, Woe also to you lawyers! Because ye load men with burdens difficult to bear, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! Because ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, but your fathers killed them. Consequently, ye testify and approve the works of your fathers, because they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers. Because of this also the wisdom of God said, I will send to them prophets and apostles. And some of them they will kill and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets that was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I say to you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! Because ye took away the key of knowledge. Ye did not enter in yourselves, and ye hindered those who were entering in. And after he said these things to them, the scholars and the Pharisees began to harass him extremely, and to provoke him to speak impulsively about more things, waiting to ambush him, seeking to catch something out of his mouth so that they might accuse him.


And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exults in LORD. My horn is exalted in LORD. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as LORD, for there is none besides thee, neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly. Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth, for LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. read more.
The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength. Those who were full have hired out themselves for bread, and those who were hungry have ceased [to hunger]. Yea, the barren has borne seven, and she who has many sons languishes. LORD kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up. LORD makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust, he lifts up the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with rulers, and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are LORD's, and he has set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness, for by strength no man shall prevail. Those who strive with LORD shall be broken to pieces. He will thunder against them in heaven. LORD will judge the ends of the earth, and he will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

but to Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but LORD had shut up her womb. And her rival provoked her greatly, to make her fret, because LORD had shut up her womb. And [as] he did so year by year when she went up to the house of LORD, so she provoked her. Therefore she wept, and did not eat. read more.
And Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why do thou weep? And why do thou not eat? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons? So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to LORD, and wept much.