²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth^(A) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.^(B) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

⁴² “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth^(A) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.^(B) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.^(C)

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness^(A) and looked down on everyone else,^(B) Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray,^(C) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself^(D) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast^(E) twice a week and give a tenth^(F) of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast^(G) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’^(H)

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(I)

⁵ Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people^(A)—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.

¹² For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.

¹⁸ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless^(A)