Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

1 ^vThen Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on ^wMoses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,¹ and lay them on people’s shoulders, but ^xthey themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be ^yseen by others. For they make their ^zphylacteries broad and their ^afringes long, 6 and they love the ^bplace of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and ^cgreetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi² by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.³ 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have ^done Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 ^eThe greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 ^fWhoever exalts himself will be humbled, and ^gwhoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, ^hhypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither ⁱenter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.⁴ 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell⁵ as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, ^jblind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is ^kbound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar ^lthat makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^mhim who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by ⁿheaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^otithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the ^pweightier matters of the law: ^qjustice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^rgreed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^swhitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all ^tuncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in ^ushedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ^vFill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you ^wbrood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your ^xsynagogues and ^ypersecute from town to town, 35 so that ^zon you may come all the ^arighteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^bAbel to the blood of ^cZechariah the son of Barachiah,⁶ whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 ^d“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^ekills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a ^fhen gathers her brood under her wings, and ^gyou were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you ^hdesolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ⁱ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

1 ^dOne day, as Jesus¹ was teaching the people in the temple and ^epreaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what ^fauthority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you ^gnot believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a ^hprophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9 ⁱAnd he began to tell the people this parable: ^j“A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and ^kwent into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant² to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^lBut the tenants ^mbeat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 ⁿThen the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^obeloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the ^pheir. Let us ^qkill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and ^rgive the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

18 Everyone who ^ufalls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

19 ^vThe scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they ^wwatched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, ^xwe know that you speak and teach rightly, and ^yshow no partiality,⁴ but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give ^ztribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius.⁵ Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 He said to them, “Then ^arender to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to ^bcatch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

27 ^cThere came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a ^dresurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, ^eMoses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man⁶ must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the ^fresurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they ^gcannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are ^hsons of God, being sons⁷ of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, ⁱin the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord ^jthe God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for ^kall live to him.” 39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 ^lBut he said to them, “How can they say that the ^mChrist is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

44 David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

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.”

The Widow’s Offering

1 ^tJesus⁸ looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the ^uoffering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.⁹ 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

5 ^vAnd while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will ^wnot be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 ^xAnd they asked him, “Teacher, ^ywhen will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but ^zthe end will not be at once.”

Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 ^aBut before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the ^bsynagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before ^ckings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your ^dopportunity to bear witness. 14 ^eSettle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will ^fgive you a mouth and wisdom, which ^gnone of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by ^hparents and brothers¹⁰ and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to ⁱdeath. 17 You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 ^jBy your endurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

20 ^k“But when you see Jerusalem ^lsurrounded by armies, then know that its ^mdesolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee ⁿto the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are ^odays of vengeance, to ^pfulfill all that is written. 23 ^qAlas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and ^rwrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be ^strampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 ^t“And there will be signs in ^usun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the ^vpowers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man ^wcoming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your ^xredemption is drawing ^ynear.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

29 ^zAnd he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the ^akingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, ^bthis generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

34 ^c“But watch yourselves ^dlest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and ^ecares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But ^fstay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.