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Matthew 23:29
ESV “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
NIV Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
NASB Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
CSB "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,
NLT What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.
KJV Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

What does Matthew 23:29 mean?

Jesus delivers another resounding condemnation or "woe" against the Pharisees and scribes. For their hard-hearted rebellion against God, they become participants in the same crimes as their forefathers. Israel's religious leaders of old persecuted and killed the prophets sent by God with hard messages for the people of Israel (Acts 7:52; Matthew 23:27–28). Those prior generations openly rejected God's messengers.

The Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' generation are just as guilty, even though they build memorials and monuments to those same prophets tormented by their forefathers. Jesus is offering yet another example of hypocrisy: presenting one picture of themselves when the opposite was true. In this passage, Jesus has shown how these religious leaders focus on appearances, and legalism, while missing or contradicting the actual intent of God (Matthew 23:23–24).
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