Woes to Scribes and Pharisees (Luke 11:37–54)
1 UST After that, Jesus said to the large groups of people and to his apprentices, BSB BSB: Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:
2 UST “The Pharisees and the teachers of the Jewish law instruct you as Moses did. BSB BSB: “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 UST So then, you should do whatever they tell you{ to do}. However, they themselves do not do what they tell{ you to do}. So, do not act as they do. BSB BSB: So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4 UST They tell people to do many things that are difficult. However, they do not do anything to help those people. BSB BSB: They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 UST Whenever they do anything, they do it so that people praise them for it. For example, when they tie boxes containing Scripture on their foreheads and arms, they make sure the boxes are large. They make the hems on their robes very long. BSB BSB: All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
6 UST They greatly enjoy sitting in the places for important people when they attend feasts or go to the Jewish meeting places. BSB BSB: They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 UST { They greatly enjoy it when} people greet them{ respectfully} in the open areas of towns and speak to them as important teachers. BSB BSB: the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.
8 UST However, you have only one teacher, me. Also, you are all fellow believers. So then, you should not allow people to speak to you as important teachers. BSB BSB: But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 UST Further, you have one Father, the one who rules from heaven. So, you should not honor people here on earth by using the title‘my father’ for them. BSB BSB: And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 UST You have one instructor, I, who am the Messiah. So, you should not allow people to speak to you as their instructors. BSB BSB: Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
11 UST The most important person in your group must serve the others. BSB BSB: The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 UST God will cause people who think they are important to be unimportant. God will cause people who think they are unimportant to be important. BSB BSB: For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 UST You Pharisees and teachers of the Jewish law say that you obey God, but you really do not! You keep people from participating in God’ s heavenly kingdom. In fact, you yourselves do not participate in the kingdom. Further, you prevent people who want to participate in it from doing so. How terrible it will be for you! BSB BSB: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
14 UST You Pharisees and teachers of the Jewish law say that you obey God, but you really do not! You steal the property of women whose husbands have died. To make other people think that you are righteous, you pray for a long time. How terrible it will be for you! God will punish you very severely. BSB BSB: Not in the BSB
15 UST You Pharisees and teachers of the Jewish law say that you obey God, but you really do not! You travel to many places to convert even one person to the Jewish religion. However, once you have done that, you cause that person to deserve to end up in hell as much as you do. How terrible it will be for you! BSB BSB: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse 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 UST You do not know what you should be teaching. You say that when people have the temple guarantee what they promise, they do not need to do what they promised. However, you say that when they have the precious metal in the temple guarantee what they promise, they must do what they promised. How terrible it will be for you! BSB BSB: 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 UST You do not understand what is true! You should realize that the precious metal{ in the temple} is less important than the temple itself. It is the temple that makes the precious metal holy. BSB BSB: You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
18 UST Similarly,{ you say that} when people have the altar guarantee what they promise, they do not need to do what they promised. However, you say that when they have the sacrifice on the altar guarantee what they promise, they must do what they promised. BSB BSB: And you 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 UST You do not understand what is true! You should realize that the sacrifice{ on the altar} is less important than the altar itself. It is the altar that makes the sacrifice holy. BSB BSB: You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?
20 UST So, when people have the altar guarantee what they promise, they are having both it and every sacrifice on it guarantee what they promise. BSB BSB: So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 UST Further, when people have the temple guarantee what they promise, they are having both it and God, who dwells there, guarantee what they promise. BSB BSB: And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it.
22 UST When people have heaven guarantee what they promise, they are also having God’ s throne and God himself, who rules from that throne, guarantee what they promise. BSB BSB: And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.
23 UST You Pharisees and teachers of the Jewish law say that you obey God, but you really do not! You give one tenth of even your herbs and spices to God. However, you fail to obey the more important commands that God gave: to do what is right, to be merciful to others, and to be faithful to God. You should do these things as well as giving a tenth of everything to God. How terrible it will be for you! BSB BSB: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 UST You do not know what you should be teaching. You are like people who filter small flies out of their drinks without noticing large animals like camels in the same drinks! BSB BSB: You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 UST You Pharisees and teachers of the Jewish law say that you obey God, but you really do not! You seem to do what is right, just like dishes that you have washed on the outside. However, really you want what other people have and do not control yourselves, just like dishes that are still dirty on the inside. How terrible it will be for you! BSB BSB: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 UST You Pharisees do not understand what is true! You should focus on doing what is right. Once you do that, you will also seem to do what is right, just like dishes that are clean on both the inside and the outside. BSB BSB: Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
28 UST Similarly, you seem to do what is right, but really you usually do what is wrong while pretending to do what is right. BSB BSB: In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 UST You Pharisees and teachers of the Jewish law say that you obey God, but you really do not! How terrible it will be for you! You construct monuments to honor the people who spoke for God long ago. You decorate the graves of people who did what was right. BSB BSB: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
30 UST You declare that, had you been alive when your ancestors were, you would not have helped them murder the people who spoke for God. BSB BSB: And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 UST When you declare that, you admit that you are descendants of and similar to the people who did murder those who spoke for God. BSB BSB: So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 UST As for you, think about what will happen if you do what your ancestors did. BSB BSB: Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.
33 UST You are sneaky and dangerous like poisonous snakes! You will not avoid God punishing you in hell. BSB BSB: You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
34 UST Since you are like that, I will have people who speak for God, people who are wise, and teachers of the Jewish law go to you! You will murder some of them and kill some of them by nailing them to crosses. You will beat some of them in your meeting places. You will chase them from one town to another. BSB BSB: Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.
35 UST So, God will consider you to be guilty for murdering everyone who did what was right here on earth but whom someone murdered. I am referring to{ Adam’ s son} Abel, who did what was right, and Barachiah’ s son Zechariah, whom your ancestors murdered in the temple area, and everyone in between. BSB BSB: And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 UST God will consider{ you people who live in} this time period to be guilty of all those murders. What I have said is true. BSB BSB: Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem (Luke 13:31–35)
37 UST Oh, people of Jerusalem! You killed the people who spoke for God long ago. Then you killed others whom God sent to you. You killed them by throwing stones at them. Many times I have wanted to bring you together{ to protect you}, as a chicken brings her offspring together under her wings. However, you did not want me to do that. BSB BSB: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!
38 UST Your city will become a place where no one lives! BSB BSB: Look, your house is left to you desolate.
39 UST In fact, here is what I want to tell you: the next time you see me, you will be saying,‘May God bless him who is here to represent the Lord!’” BSB BSB: For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”