Beware of the Scribes

38 ^vAnd in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like ^wgreetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the ^xbest seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who ^ydevour widows’ houses and for a ^zpretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

37 ⁱWhile Jesus¹ was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first ^jwash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of ^kgreed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, ^leverything is clean for you.

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you ^mtithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect ⁿjustice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the ^obest seat in the synagogues and ^pgreetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like ^qunmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and ^ryou yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers ^skilled. 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and ^tapostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of ^uAbel to the blood of ^vZechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Beware of the Scribes

45 ^oAnd in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love ^pgreetings in the marketplaces and the ^qbest seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who ^rdevour widows’ houses and for a ^spretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”