16
"Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, `If someone swears by the Temple, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.'
17
You blind fools! Which is more important? the gold? or the Temple which makes the gold holy?
18
And you say, `If someone swears by the altar, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the offering on the altar, he is bound.'
19
Blind men! Which is more important? the sacrifice? or the altar which makes the sacrifice holy
20
So someone who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it.
21
And someone who swears by the Temple swears by it and the One who lives in it
22
And someone who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and the One who sits on it.
23
"Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P'rushim! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah -- justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to -- without neglecting the others!
24
Blind guides! -- straining out a gnat, meanwhile swallowing a camel!
25
"Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P'rushim! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self indulgence.
26
Blind Parush! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean too.