Matthew 23:15

¹³ 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.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?

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 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.
KJV: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
WEB: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.
ASV: 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 hell than yourselves.
DARBY: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye compass the sea and the dry [land] to make one proselyte, and when he is become [such], ye make him twofold more [the] son of hell than yourselves.
BLB: Woe to you⁺, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you⁺ traverse the sea and the dry land to make one convert, and when he might become one, you⁺ make him twofold more a son of Gehenna than yourselves.

ÅB: «Ve dere, skriftlærde og fariseere, hyklere! Dere reiser over hav og land for å vinne en eneste tilhenger; og når dere vinner ham gjør dere ham til et helvetes barn, to ganger verre enn dere selv!
OTB: Ve dere, skriftlærde og fariseere, hyklere! Dere reiser over land og hav for å gjøre én enkelt tilhenger, og når de blir det, gjør dere dem til et barn av helvete, dobbelt så ille som dere selv.
B1930: Ve eder, I skriftlærde og fariseere, I hyklere, I som farer over hav og land for å vinne en eneste tilhenger, og når han er blitt det, gjør I ham til et helvedes barn, to ganger verre enn I selv er!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Acts 13:43
After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Read in context
Acts 13:10
and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
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Ephesians 2:3
All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.
Read in context
Galatians 6:12
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ.
Read in context
Galatians 4:17
Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.
Read in context
John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
Read in context
Acts 14:2
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
Read in context
Matthew 5:22
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
Read in context