15
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you scour sea and land in order to win one convert--and when he is gained, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.
16
"Alas for you, you blind guides, who say, "`Whoever swears by the Sanctuary it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Sanctuary, is bound by the oath.'
17
"Blind fools! Why, which is greater? --the gold, or the Sanctuary which has made the gold holy?
18
And you say, "`Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering lying on it is bound by the oath.'
19
"You are blind! Why, which is greater? --the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy
20
He who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it;
21
he who swears by the Sanctuary swears both by it and by Him who dwells in it
22
and he who swears by Heaven swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the Law--just judgement, mercy, and faithful dealing. These things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone.
24
You blind guides, straining out the gnat while you gulp down the camel!