Modern Literal Version
[Matthew 23]

     {Mar 12:38-40 & Mat 23:1-39 & Luk 20:45-47 Courts of the Temple, Tues.}

     ^23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, ^23:2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sat upon the seat of Moses.^23:3Therefore, all things, as many things as they would say for you^* to keep, keep^* and do^**, but do^** not do them according to their works; for^* they say and are not doing^*.^23:4For^* they bind burdensome and unbearable loads, and place them upon men's shoulders, but they are not willing to move them even with their finger. ^23:5And they are practicing all their works in order to be seen by men. And they widen their phylacteries and magnify the hems of their garments, ^23:6and they love the foremost-place in the suppers and the foremost seats in the synagogues, ^23:7and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called by men, Rabbi, rabbi. ^23:8 But do^* not be called rabbi; for^*only one is your^* leader, the Christ, and you^* are all brethren. ^23:9Now do^* not call anyoneyour^* father upon the earth; for^*only one is your^* Father, the one in the heavens; ^23:10nor be called leaders; for^*only one is your^* leaderС the Christ. ^23:11But the greater of you^* will be your^* servant.^23:12But if he exalts himselfС he will be humbling himself. And whoever humbles himselfС he will be exalting himself.

     {Footnotes: Mat 23:13 & 23:14 are flipped in various Greek texts.}

     ^23:13Woe to you^*, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^* are devouring widows' houses, and praying long prayers for a pretext, because of this, you^* will be receiving even-more condemnation.

     ^23:14But woe to you^*, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^* lock the kingdom of the heavens before men; for^* you^* are not entering in yourselves, nor are you^* allowing those who are entering in, to enter either.

     ^23:15Woe to you^*, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^* proceed all around the sea andthe dry land to make^* one Jewish-convert, and whenever he has become one, you^* are making^* him double the son of hell as you^* are yourselves.

     ^23:16Woe to you^*, you^* blind guides, that say, Whoever should swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever should swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated. ^23:17You are foolish and blind; for^* what is greater, the gold, or the temple that makes the gold holy?^23:18And, Whoever should swear by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever should swear by the gift which is upon it, he is obligated. ^23:19You^* are foolish and blind; for^* what is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy? ^23:20Therefore, he who has sworn by the altar, swears by it, and by all things upon it. ^23:21And he who has sworn by the temple, swears by it, and in the one who dwelt in it. ^23:22And he who has sworn by the heaven, swears by the throne of God, and in the one who is sitting upon it.

     ^23:23Woe to you^*, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^* tithe the mint and the dill and the cumin, and yet you^* left behind the weighty things of the law: judgment and mercy and faith. It was essential for you^* to practice these, and not to leave those undone. ^23:24You^* blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

     ^23:25Woe to you^*, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^* cleanse the outside of the cup and the plate, but they are full from ravening and unrighteousness inside. ^23:26Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the cup from within and the plate, in order that the outside of them might also become clean.

     ^23:27Woe to you^*, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^* are similar to whitewashed burial chambers, which on the outside indeed appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men's bones, and full of all uncleanness. ^23:28So on the outside you^* indeed appear also righteous to men, but inside, you^* are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

     ^23:29Woe to you^*, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you^* build the burial chambers of the prophets and adorn the tombs of the righteous, ^23:30 and say, If we were in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in the blood of the prophets. ^23:31So-then you^* are testifying to yourselves, that you^* are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^23:32And you^*, fill^*up the measure of your^* fathers. ^23:33Serpents, offsprings of vipers! How may you^* flee from the judgment of hell? ^23:34Because of this, behold, I am sending to you^* prophets and wise men and scribes, and you^* will be killing and will be crucifying some out of them, and you^* will be scourging in your^* synagogues and will be persecuting from city to city some out of them, ^23:35so^*that upon you^* may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous{Gen 4:8}until the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you^* murdered between the temple and the altar. {Zec 1:7 (?)}^23:36 Assuredly I am saying to you^*, All these things will be coming upon this generation.

     ^23:37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How-often I willed to gather together your children in the manner a bird gathers together its brood under her own wings, and you^* did not will it! ^23:38Behold, your^* house is left to you^* desolate; ^23:39for^* I say to you^*, You^* should never see me from now on, until you^* should say, He who is coming in the name of the Lord has been blessed.{Psa 118:26}

Modern Literal Version Preface & Appendix , copyright 1987, 1999, 2013 by G. Allen Walker for the MLV New Testament Committee.
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