Chapter 16
Discourse in Condemnation of Scribes and Pharisees
Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments.
They love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces. They devour widow’s houses, even while for pretense they make long prayers. All their works they do for to be seen of men.
They love to be called of men, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. Neither be ye called Master: for one is your master. And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your father.
Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. He that is greatest among you shall be your minister.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of God against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the alter, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is bound by his oath. Ye blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the alter that sactifieth the gift?
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and integrity. Ye blind guides, which strain out the gnat and swallow the camel.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to press upon Jesus vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things; laying wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.
And Jesus sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how the multitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a poor widow, and she cast in small copper coins.
And Jesus called unto him his disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, this poor widow cast in more than all they which are casting into the treasury: for they all did cast in of their superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all that she had.