17. You foolish and blind people! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy?
18. You say, ‘If people swear by the altar, it’s nothing. But if they swear by the gift on the altar, they are obligated to do what they swore.’
19. You blind people! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
20. Therefore, those who swear by the altar swear by it and by everything that’s on it.
21. Those who swear by the temple swear by it and by everything that’s part of it.
22. Those who swear by heaven swear by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
23. “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You give to God a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget about the more important matters of the Law: justice, peace, and faith. You ought to give a tenth but without forgetting about those more important matters.