This verse is not included in Revised Standard Version or in most other modern translations (New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, Luther 1984, New American Bible, New International Version), and TC-GNT believes that the evidence is positive that it was brought in from the parallels in Mark 12.40 and Luke 20.47. It does not appear in the best Greek manuscripts, and in the manuscripts in which it does appear its position varies (some place it before verse 13 and some after verse 13).
The first part of this verse is identical to verse 13. Even for can be handled exactly the same way as “because” was there. You devour widows’ houses is translated with the figure of speech removed by Good News Translation: “You take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes.” The reference is to the unethical way in which these leaders sometimes took advantage of the situation of widows and would take from them their homes and property. Translators in West Africa often do not have to remove the figurative language, because the word “eat” is frequently used to refer to stealing or misusing money or property. They can thus say “For you eat the houses (or, property) of widows.” But where such imagery would mean nothing, translators should do something similar to Good News Bible or have a clause such as “you take from widows everything they have.”
The noun construction for a pretense is translated as a verb phrase by Good News Translation: “make a show.” One may also translate “try to impress others” or “try to show off before others.” In Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch the two clauses of this sentence are inverted and translated “You say long prayers in order to make a good impression, but in reality you are cheats, who deprive helpless widows of their possessions.” Some translators have structured the sentence like this: “For you take from widows everything they have and yet say long prayers in order to impress other people.” Or like this: “Although you take from widows all their property, you try to impress other people by saying long prayers.”
Therefore you will receive the greater condemnation translates a construction in which God is the implied agent of the verb phrase will receive … condemnation. Accordingly, it is permissible to translate “because of this God will punish you all the more!” Greater condemnation is in comparison to the condemnation (Good News Translation “punishment”) that God will inflict upon others. In some languages the persons involved in the comparison must be expressed: “God will punish you more severely than he will punish others.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .