Oaths

33 “Again (A)you have heard that it was said to those of old, (B)‘You shall not swear falsely, but (C)shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, (D)Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for (E)it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is (F)the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; (G)anything more than this comes from evil.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:37 Or the evil one

33 “Again, (A)you have heard that [a]the ancients were told, ‘[b](B)You shall not [c]make false vows, but shall fulfill your [d]vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, (C)take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is (D)the throne of God, 35 nor by the earth, for it is the (E)footstool of His feet, nor [e]by Jerusalem, for it is (F)the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But make sure your statement is, ‘[f]Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is [g]of (G)evil origin.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:33 Lit it was said to the ancients
  2. Matthew 5:33 you and your are singular here
  3. Matthew 5:33 Or break your vows
  4. Matthew 5:33 Lit oaths
  5. Matthew 5:35 Or toward
  6. Matthew 5:37 I.e., a clear “yes” or “no”
  7. Matthew 5:37 Or from the evil one

Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath,(A) but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’(B) 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all:(C) either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;(D) 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.(E) 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;(F) anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[a](G)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:37 Or from evil

Teaching about Vows

33 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’[a] 34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

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Footnotes

  1. 5:33 Num 30:2.