19
How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20
When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it.
21
And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.
22
And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.
23
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
24
Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
25
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!
26
You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.
27
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.
28
Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.