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13 Woe to You, Teachers of the Law.[a]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the entrance to the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow others to enter.

[14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you devour the houses of widows, while for the sake of appearance you recite lengthy prayers. As a result, you will receive the severest possible condemnation.][b]

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You journey over sea and land to make a single convert,[c] and then you make that convert twice as worthy of Gehenna as you are.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:13 At that period, Jews tried to win Gentiles over to their religion; those who came were called proselytes. There were also Gentiles who sympathized with Jewish ways and were called “God-fearers.” There must have been rivalries between Jews and Christians in this area.
  2. Matthew 23:14 This verse is identical with Mk 12:40 and seems to have been interpolated from that text.
  3. Matthew 23:15 Convert: a proselyte, that is, a Gentile who had accepted the faith of Israel. Worthy of Gehenna: worthy of damnation.