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Teaching about Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was told those who lived long ago, ‘You must not swear an oath falsely,’ but, ‘You must fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’[a] 34 But I tell you not to swear at all, neither by heaven, because it is God’s throne, 35 nor by the earth, because it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the Great King. 36 Nor should you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Instead, let your message be ‘Yes’ for ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ for ‘No.’ Anything more than that comes from the evil one.”

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The Sermon on the Mount: Taking Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the people of old,[a] ‘Do not swear falsely,[b] but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’[c] 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king. 36 And do not swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be ‘Yes, yes; no, no,’ and anything beyond these is from the evil one.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:33 Literally “ancients”
  2. Matthew 5:33 Or “do not break your oath”
  3. Matthew 5:33 A quotation from Lev 19:12
  4. Matthew 5:37 Or “is of evil”