Matthew 23:13

¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant.

¹² For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

¹⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
KJV: 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.
WEB: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
ASV: 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[.]
DARBY: But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men; for *ye* do not enter, nor do ye suffer those that are entering to go in.
BLB: But woe to you⁺, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you⁺ shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men. For you⁺ do not enter, nor even do you⁺ allow those who are entering to enter.

ÅB: «Men ve dere, skriftlærde og fariseere, hyklere! Dere lukker himlenes rike for menneskene! For dere går ikke inn dit selv, og dere tillater ikke de som vil å gå inn heller.
OTB: «Men ve dere, skriftlærde og fariseere, hyklere! Dere lukker himmelrikets dør for menneskene. Dere går ikke selv inn, og dem som er på vei inn, hindrer dere i å komme inn.
B1930: Men ve eder, I skriftlærde og fariseere, I hyklere, I som lukker himlenes rike for menneskene! for selv går I ikke der inn, og dem som er i ferd med å gå der inn, tillater I ikke å gå inn.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Luke 11:52
Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
Read in context
Matthew 23:29
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
Read in context
Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Read in context
Matthew 23:27
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.
Read in context
Zechariah 11:17
Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly blinded!”
Read in context
Acts 8:1
And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Read in context
2 Timothy 4:15
You too should beware of him, for he has vigorously opposed our message.
Read in context
2 Timothy 3:8
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.
Read in context