And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished.

The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.’”

do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’

You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’

Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.

And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?

The Certainty of God’s Promise

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,

People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.