Tell the Truth

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,^[a] You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.^{(A)[b] 34} But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.^{(B) 36} Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’^[c] Anything more than this is from the evil one.^(C)

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides,^(A) who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath^(B) by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.’^{[a] 17} Blind fools!^[b] For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? ¹⁸ Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’^{[c] 19} Blind people!^[d] For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?^{(C) 20} Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. ²¹ The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells^(D) in it. ²² And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne^(E) and by Him who sits on it.^(F)

⁹ He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain^[a] your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses^(A) said:

¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit^(D) you might have received from me is Corban’” (that is, a gift^(E) committed to the temple), ¹² “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ You revoke God’s word^(F) by your tradition that you have handed^(G) down. And you do many other similar things.”