Yeshua (ישוע) condemns the sofrim and P'rushim
(Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:37-52)
23:1 Then spake Yeshua (ישוע) to the multitude, and to His taught ones,
23:2 Saying, The sofrim and the P'rushim sit in Mosheh' seat:
23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.
23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the Shul,
23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
23:8 But be not ye called 'rabbi': for One is your Rabbi, [even] Moshiach; and all ye are brethren.
23:9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your AVI, which is in shamayim.
23:10 Neither be ye called 'teachers': for One is your Teacher, [even] Moshiach.
23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your eved.
23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
23:13 But Woe unto you, Sofrim and P'rushim, tzeviut (hypocrisy)!
you shut up the kingdom of heaven in people's face: for you neither go in [yourselves], neither will you let those enter who trying to.
23:14 * [Woe unto you, Sofrim and P'rushim, tzeviut (hypocrisy)!
for you devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation.]
23:15 Woe unto you, Sofrim and P'rushim, tzeviut (hypocrisy)!
for you cross sea and land to make one proselyte (convert), and when he is made, you make him twice time more a son of Gey Hinnom than yourselves.
23:16 Woe unto you, [ye] blind guides, which say,
Whosoever shall swear by ha mikdash, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of ha mikdash, he is a debtor!
23:17 [Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or ha mikdash that sanctifieth the gold?
23:18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
23:19 [Ye] fools and blind: for whether [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
23:20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
23:21 And whoso shall swear by ha mikdash, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
23:22 And he that shall swear by shamayim, sweareth by the throne of Elohim (אלהים), and by him that sitteth thereon.
23:23 Woe unto you, Sofrim and P'rushim, tzeviut (hypocrisy)!
for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected those matters of the Torah that are of greater consequences: misphat, chesed, and emunah: these are the necessary matters you should have done, and not to leave the other undone.
23:24 [Ye] blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
23:25 Woe unto you, Sofrim and P'rushim, tzeviut (hypocrisy)!
for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
23:26 [You] blind Parush, first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may be clean also.
23:27 Woe unto you, Sofrim and P'rushim, tzeviut (hypocrisy)!
for ye are like unto whited tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful, but within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all uncleanness.
23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of tzeviut (hypocrisy) and lawlessly against the Torah.
23:29 Woe unto you, sofrim and P'rushim, tzeviut (hypocrisy)!
because you build the tombs of the Neviim, and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
23:30 And say, If we had been in the days of our avot, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Neviim.
23:31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the benai them which killed the Neviim.
23:32 Fill ye up then the measure of your avot.
23:33 [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
23:34 Wherefore, hinnei, I send unto you Neviim, and wise men, and sofrim: and [some] of them ye shall kill and crucify; and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your Shul, and persecute [them] from city to city:
23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Hevel unto the blood of Z'kharyah Ben Berekhyah, whom ye slew between ha mikdash and the altar.
23:36 Truly I say unto you:
All these things shall come upon this generation.
Moshiach weeps over Yerushalayim
23:37 O Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, [thou] that killest the Neviim, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!
23:38 Hinnei, your house is left unto you desolate.
23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Baruch ha ba B'Shem YHWH.
*[ ] This verse not found in early mss
swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel! It was the custom, says TRENCH, of the stricter Jews to strain their wine, vinegar, and other potables through linen or gauze, lest unawares they should drink down some little unclean insect therein and thus transgress (Leviticus 11:20,23,41,42) The gnat is a tiny insect that often fell into a cup of sweet win, was stained out by sucking the wine through the teeth, . Swallow the camel is to say that they are grossly blind to enormous sins like hypocrisy, dishonestly, cruety, and greed.
Hypocrisy choneph - hypocrisy
Mt 23:28Even so ye also * * outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
1Ti 4:2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Yeshayahu 32:6 For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against YHWH, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
David Brickner, Executive Director of Yehudim L'man Yeshua talks about the Jewish Messiah and G=d's vision for Jerusalem.