15 16 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of 1hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the 2 temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the 2 temple, he is a debtor. 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath 18 sanctified the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is 3a 19 debtor. Ye blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and 21 by all things thereon. And he that sweareth by the 2 temple, sweareth by it, and by him 22 that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and 25 Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. Thou blind Pha- 26 risee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and 27 Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even 28 so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and 29 Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, and 30 say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye witness 31 to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure 32 of your fathers. Ye serpents, 33 ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgement of hell? Therefore, behold, 34 I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: that upon you 35 2 Or, sanctuary: as in ver. 35. 3 Or, bound by his Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, judgement, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have 24 left the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel. 1 Gr. Gehenna. oath 4 Or, dill may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary 36 and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left 39 unto you 1 desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. For many shall come in my 5 name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray. And ye shall hear of wars c and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise 7 against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. But 8 all these things are the beginning of travail. Then shall 9 they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. And then shall many 10 stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. And many false 11 prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And be- 12 cause iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold. But he that 13 endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And 14 this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come. When therefore ye see the 15 abomination of desolation, which was spoken of "by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand), then let them that are in 16 2 Gr. presence. • Or, the 5 Gr. inhabited 1 Some ancient authorities omit desolate. consummation of the age earth. • Or, through Or, these good tidings 7 Or, a holy place Judæa flee unto the moun17 tains: let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in 18 his house: and let him that is in the field not return back 19 to take his cloke. But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in 20 those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath: 21 for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor 22 ever shall be. And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be 23 shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; be24 lieve 1it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, 25 even the elect. Behold, I 26 have told you beforehand. If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the 28 Son of man. Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 1 Or, him 2 Or, them But immediately, after the 29 tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall 30 appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And 31 he shall send forth his angels 5 with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now from the fig tree learn 32 her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when 33 ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say un- 34 to you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Hea- 35 ven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and 36 hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only. And as were the 37 days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of For as in those days 38 man. 3 Gr. presence. 7 Or, it ancient authorities read with a great trumpet, 6 Or, a trumpet of great sound ancient, omit neither the Son. which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the 1coming of the Son of man. 40 Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one 41 is left: two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is 42 taken, and one is left. Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh. 43 2 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be 44 3 broken through. Therefore be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the 45 Son of man cometh. Who then is the faithful and wise 4servant, whom his lord hath | set over his household, to give them their food in due 46 season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so do47 ing. Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all 48 that he hath. But if that evil servant shall say in his 49 heart, My lord tarrieth; and shall begin to beat his fellowservants, and shall eat and 50 drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, 1 Gr. presence. 4 Gr. bondservant. and shall cut him asunder, 51 and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the kingdom of 1 25 heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them 2 were foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when 3 they took their lamps, took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their 6 lamps. Now while 5 the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. Then 7 all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And 8 the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But 9 the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went away to 10 buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. Afterward come also the other 11 virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered 12 and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch 13 therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. For it is as when a man, 14 going into another country, 2 Or, But this ye know 3 Gr. digged through. • Or, torches called his own 1servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made 17 other five talents. In like manner he also that received the two gained other two. 18 But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's 19 money. Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a 20 reckoning with them. And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five 21 talents. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the 22 joy of thy lord. And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained 23 other two talents. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou 24 into the joy of thy lord. And he also that had received the one talent came and said, 1 Gr. bondservants. Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter: and I was 25 afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own. But 26 his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; thou oughtest 27 therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest. Take ye away there- 28 fore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. For unto 29 every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. And cast ye out 30 the unprofitable 2servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. But when the Son of man 31 shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him 32 shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: and 33 he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the 34 |