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12 Some people lift themselves up to be important. But God will bring them down low. Other people are humble. God will lift up those people to a good place.’

Jesus speaks against the teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees

13 Jesus spoke to the teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees. ‘It will be very bad for you,’ he said. ‘You are hypocrites! You have stopped people who wanted to go into the kingdom of heaven. It is like you have shut the door so that they cannot go in. Then you yourselves do not even go in.

14 [It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You take things away from women after their husbands have died. You pray for a long time so that other people will praise you. God will punish you much more than other people.][a]

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Footnotes

  1. 23:14 Verse 14 is not in all copies of Matthew's book.

12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.(A)

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(B) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(C) [14] [a]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.