²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,^(A) and to God what is God’s.”

⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes;^(A) if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?^(A) You be the judges!

Breaking Covenant Through Blemished Sacrifices

⁶ “A son honors his father,^(A) and a slave his master.^(B) If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect^(C) due me?” says the Lord Almighty.^(D)

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask,^(E) ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁷ “By offering defiled food^(F) on my altar.

“But you ask,^(G) ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table^(H) is contemptible. ⁸ When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,^(I) is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased^(J) with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.^(K)

² And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation.^(A) He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar^(B) and claims to be Messiah, a king.”^(C)

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a](A)

²⁰ When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”^(A)

²¹ Daniel answered, “May the king live forever!^{(B) 22} My God sent his angel,^(C) and he shut the mouths of the lions.^(D) They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.^(E) Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

²³ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound^(F) was found on him, because he had trusted^(G) in his God.

Saying 30

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:^(A) whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong^(B) and to commend those who do right.^{(C) 15} For it is God’s will^(D) that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.^{(E) 16} Live as free people,^(F) but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;^(G) live as God’s slaves.^{(H) 17} Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers,^(I) fear God, honor the emperor.^(J)