Wednesday, May 23, 2018

SEVEN WOES


MATTHEW Chapter 23

Seven Woes

Then Jesus said to the Crowds
And to His Disciples:

2 The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
Sit in Moses' Seat.
3 So you Must Obey them
And do everything they tell you.

BUT DO NOT DO WHAT THEY DO,
FOR THEY DO NOT PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH.

4 THEY TIE UP HEAEY LOADS
AND PUT THEM ON MEN'S SHOULDDERS,
BUT THEY THEMSELVES
ARE NOT WILLING TO LIFT A FINGER TO MOVE THEM.

5 EVERYTHING THEY DO
IS DONE FOR MEN TO SEE:
They make their Phylacteries wide
And the tassels of their Prayer Shawls long;

6 They love the Place of Honor at Banquets
And the most Important Seats in the Synagogues;

7 They love to be greeted in the Marketplaces
And to have men call them 'Rabbi.'

8 BUT YOU ARE NOT TO BE CALLED 'RABBI,'
FOR YOU HAVE ONLY ONE MASTER
AND YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS.

9 AND DO NOT CALL ANYONE ON EARTH 'FATHER,'
FOR YOU HAVE ONE FATHER,
AND HE IS IN HEAVEN.

10 NOR ARE YOU TO BE CALLED 'TEACHER,'
FOR YOU HAVE ONE TEACHER, THE CHRIST.

11 THE GREATEST AMONG YOU WILL BE YOUR SERVANT.

12 FOR WHOEVER EXALTS HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED,
AND WHOEVER HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED.

13 WOE TO YOU,
Teachers of the Law and Pharisees,
YOU HYPOCRITES!
YOU SHUT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IN MEN'S FACES.
14 YOU YOURSELVES DO NOT ENTER,
NOR WILL YOU LET THOSE ENTER
WHO ARE TRYING TO.

15 WOE TO YOU,
Teachers of the Law and Pharisees,
YOU HYPOCRITES!
You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,
And when he becomes one,
YOU MAKE HIM TWICE AS MUCH A SON OF HELL
AS YOU ARE.

16 WOE TO YOU, BLIND GUIDES!
You say, 'If anyone swears by the Temple,
It means Nothing;
But if anyone Swears by the gold of the Temple,
He is Bound by his Oath.'

17 YOU BLIND FOOLS!
Which is Greater:
The gold, or the Temple
That makes the gold Sacred?

18 You also say,
'If anyone Swears by the Altar,
It means Nothing;
But if anyone Swears by the Gift on it,
He is Bound by his Oath.'

19 YOU BLIND MEN!
Which is Greater:
The Gift, or the Altar
That makes the Gift Sacred?

20 Therefore, he who Swears by the Altar
Swears by it
And by everything on it.

21 And he who Swears by the Temple
Swears by it
AND BY THE ONE WHO DWELLS IN IT.

22 AND HE WHO SWEARS BY HEAVEN
SWEARS BY GOD'S THRONE
AND BY THE ONE WHO SITS ON IT.

23 WOE TO YOU,
Teachers of the Law and Pharisees,
YOU HYPOCRITES!
You give a Tenth of your spices--
Mint, dill and cummin.
BUT YOU HAVE NEGLECTED
THE MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS OF THE LAW--
JUSTICE, MERCY AND FAITHFULNESS.

YOU SHOULD HAVE PRACTICED THE LATTER,
WITHOUT NEGLECTING THE FORMER.

24 YOU BLIND GUIDES!
YOU STRAIN OUT A GNAT
BUT SWALLOW A CAMEL.

25 WOE TO YOU,
Teachers of the Law and Pharisees,
YOU HYPOCRITES!
YOU CLEAN THE OUTSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH,
BUT INSIDE THEY ARE FULL OF GREED
AND SELF-INDULGENCE.

24 BLIND PHARISEE!
FIRST CLEAN THE INSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH,
AND THEN THE OUTSIDE ALSO WILL BE CLEAN.

27 WOE TO YOU,
Teachers of the Law and Pharisees,
YOU HYPOCRITES!
YOU ARE LIKE WHITEWASHED TOMBS,
WHICH LOOK BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE
BUT ON THE INSIDE ARE FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES
AND EVERYTHING UNCLEAN.

28 IN THE SAME WAY,
ON THE OUTSIDE YOU APPEAR TO PEOPLE AS RIGHTEOUS
BUT ON THE INSIDE
YOU ARE FULL OF HYPOCRISY AND WICKEDNESS.

29 WOE TO YOU,
Teachers of the Law and Pharisees,
YOU HYPOCRITES!
YOU BUILD TOMBS FOR THE PROPHETS
AND DECORATE THE GRAVES OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

30 AND YOU SAY,
'IF WE HAD LIVED IN THE DAYS OF OUR FOREFATHERS,
WE WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN PART WITH THEM
IN SHEDDING THE BLOOD OF THE PROPHETS.'

31 SO YOU TESTIFY AGASINST YOURSELVES
THAT YOU ARE THE DESCENDANTS
OF THOSE WHO MURDERED THE PROPHETS.

32 FILL UP, THEN, THE MEASURE OF THE SIN
OF YOUR FOREFATHERS!

33 YOU SNAKES!
YOU BROOD OF VIPERS!
HOW WILL YOU ESCAPE BEING CONDEMNED TO HELL?

34 THEREFORE I AM SENDING YOU PROPHETS
AND WISE MEN AND TEACHERS.

SOME OF THEM YOU WILL KILL AND CRUCIFY;
OTHERS YOU WILL FLOG IN YOUR SYNAGOGUES
AND PURSUE FROM TOWN TO TOWN.

35 AND SO UPON YOU WILL COME
ALL THE RIGHTEOUS BLOOD
THAT HAS BEEN SHED ON EARTH,
FROM THE BLOOD OF RIGHEOUS ABLE
TO THE BLOOD OF ZECHARIAH SON OF BERAKIAH,
WHOM YOU MURDERED
BETWEEN THE TEMPLE AND THE ALTAR.

36 I TELL YOU THE TRUTH,
ALL THIS WILL COME UPON THIS GENERATION.

37 O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM,
YOU WHO KILL THE PROPHETS AND STONE THOSE SENT TO YOU,
HOW OFTEN I HAVE LONGED
TO GATHER YOUR CHILDREN TOGETHER,
AS A HEN GATHERS HER CHICKS
UNDER HER WINGS,

BUT YOU WERE NOT WILLING.

38 LOOK, YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT TO YOU DESOLATE.

39 FOR I TELL YOU,
YOU WILL NOT SEE ME AGAIN
UNTIL YOU SAY,
'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.'
(Matthew 23)

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