7 For the lips of a priest should safeguard knowledge, and people should seek the law* from his mouth,+ because he is the messenger of Jehovah of armies.

8 “But you yourselves have turned aside from the way. You have made many stumble with regard to the law.*+ You have ruined the covenant of Leʹvi,”+ says Jehovah of armies.

13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut up the Kingdom of the heavens before men; for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in.+

14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the congregations of God in union with Christ Jesus that are in Ju·deʹa, because you suffered at the hands of your own countrymen+ the same things that they also are suffering at the hands of the Jews, 15 who even killed the Lord Jesus+ and the prophets and persecuted us.+ Furthermore, they are not pleasing God, but are against the interests of all men, 16 as they try to prevent us from speaking* to people of the nations so that these might be saved.+ In this way they always fill up the measure of their sins. But his wrath has at last come upon them.*+