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”

Tell the Truth

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,[a] You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.(A)[b] 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.(B) 36 Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’[c] Anything more than this is from the evil one.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:33 Lit to the ancients
  2. Matthew 5:33 Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21
  3. Matthew 5:37 Say what you mean and mean what you say