Matthew 22:15-22

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 ¹Then the Pharisees went and plotted how ²to entangle him in his words.

16 And they sent ³their disciples to him, along with ⁴the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, ⁵we know that you are true and teach ⁶the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for ⁷you are not swayed by appearances.^[a]

17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay ⁸taxes to ⁹Caesar, or not?"

18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why ¹⁰put me to the test, you hypocrites?

19 Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.^[b]

20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"

21 They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, ¹¹"Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they ¹²left him and went away.

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 15-32, see Mark 12:13-27; Luke 20:20-38
• 2. [Luke 11:54]
• 3. Mark 2:18
• 4. Mark 3:6; [Mark 8:15]
• 5. [John 3:2]
• 6. Acts 18:26; [Acts 13:10]
• 7. See Acts 10:34
• 8. Matthew 17:25
• 9. Luke 2:1; Luke 3:1
• 10. See John 8:6
• 11. Romans 13:7
• 12. Mark 12:12

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek for you do not look at people's faces
• [b]. A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer