The sinners in Zion {\cf2\super [308]} are afraid. The people that do wrong things shake with fear. They say, “Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns forever?” {\cf2\super [309]}
Matthew 23:13 - Easy To Read Version “It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [333]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [334]} You close the way for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop the people that are trying to enter. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do so. American Standard Version (1901) But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter. Common English Bible “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don’t enter yourselves, and you won’t allow those who want to enter to do so. Catholic Public Domain Version So then: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you close the kingdom of heaven before men. For you yourselves do not enter, and those who are entering, you would not permit to enter. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter. |
The sinners in Zion {\cf2\super [308]} are afraid. The people that do wrong things shake with fear. They say, “Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns forever?” {\cf2\super [309]}
Oh my worthless shepherd.\par You abandoned my sheep.\par Punish him!\par Hit his right arm and right eye\par with a sword.\par His right arm will be useless.\par His right eye will be blind.\par
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [338]} You guide the people, but you are blind. You say, ‘If any person uses the name of the temple {\cf2\super [339]} to make a promise, that means nothing. But if any person uses the gold that is in the temple to make a promise, then he must keep that promise.’
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [341]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [342]} You give God one tenth of everything you own—even your mint, dill, and cummin. {\cf2\super [343]} But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—being fair, showing mercy, and being faithful. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [345]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [346]} You wash clean the outside of your cups and dishes. But inside they are full of things that you got by cheating other people and pleasing yourselves.
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [347]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [348]} You are like tombs {\cf2\super [349]} that are painted white. The outside of those tombs looks fine. But inside, the tombs are full of the bones of dead people. And all kinds of unclean things are inside there.
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [351]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [352]} You build tombs for the prophets. {\cf2\super [353]} And you show honor to the graves of people that lived good lives.
Many Pharisees {\cf2\super [37]} and Sadducees {\cf2\super [38]} came to the place where John was baptizing people. When John saw them he said to them: “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s anger that is coming?
“It will be bad for you, you teachers of the law. You have taken away the key to learning about God. You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning, too.”
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders had already decided that they would punish any person that said Jesus was the Christ. {\cf2\super [158]} They would put those people out of the synagogue. {\cf2\super [159]}
So the Jewish leaders called the man that had been blind. They told the man to come in again. They said, “You should give God the glory \{by telling the truth\}. We know that this man (Jesus) is a sinner.”
The Jewish leaders answered, “You were born full of sin! Are you trying to teach us?” And the Jewish leaders forced the man to leave.
But Elymas, the magician, was against Barnabas and Saul. (Elymas is another name for Barjesus.) Elymas tried to stop the governor from believing \{in Jesus\}.
He said, “We told you never to teach about this man (Jesus)! But look what you have done! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. You are trying to make us responsible (guilty) for the death of this man (Jesus).”
They called the apostles {\cf2\super [104]} in again. They beat the apostles and told them not to talk to people about Jesus again. Then they let the apostles go free.
Remember Jannes and Jambres. {\cf2\super [17]} They were against Moses. {\cf2\super [18]} It is the same with these people. They are against the truth. They are people whose thinking has been confused. They have failed in trying to follow the faith.
You have known the Holy Scriptures {\cf2\super [19]} since you were a child. Those Scriptures are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.