Matthew 23:18-28

18 And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing! But whoever swears by the gift [that is] on it is bound [by his oath].'
19 Blind [people]! For which [is] greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy
20 Therefore the one who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything [that is] on it.
21 And the one who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells [in] it
22 And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the one who sits on it.
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important [matters] of the law--justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary to do these [things] {while not neglecting those}.
24 Blind guides who filter out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence!
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean!
28 In the [same] way, on the outside you also appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Footnotes 4

  • [a]. The phrase "[by his oath]" is not in the Greek text but is implied
  • [b]. Some manuscripts have "But it was necessary"
  • [c]. Literally "and those not to neglect"
  • [d]. Some manuscripts omit "and the dish"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.