Matthew 23:16

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

“You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who misuses his name.

Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

When you vow a vow to God, don’t defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow.

‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it become holy?’ ” The priests answered, “No.”

“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”

He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?

but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

He who acts unjustly, let him act unjustly still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him do righteousness still. He who is holy, let him be holy still.”

You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You will pay your vows.

My praise of you comes in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.

Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.

I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people.

For those who lead this people lead them astray; and those who are led by them are destroyed.

The wind will feed all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says Yahweh.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.

You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!

When it was day, some of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.

You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.

“ ‘Or if anyone swears rashly with his lips to do evil or to do good—whatever it is that a man might utter rashly with an oath, and it is hidden from him—when he knows of it, then he will be guilty of one of these.

“ ‘You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.

‘Cursed is he who leads the blind astray on the road.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.

I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people,

The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.

It is a snare to a man to make a rash dedication, then later to consider his vows.

His watchmen are blind. They are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs. They can’t bark— dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams,” says Yahweh, “who tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their vain boasting; yet I didn’t send them or command them. They don’t profit this people at all,” says Yahweh.

The Lord Yahweh says, “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and tell them, even the shepherds, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed the sheep?

Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone!

Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, Judah! Perform your vows, for the wicked one will no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off.

But you have turned away from the path. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.

And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” that they might accuse him.

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also.

The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land?

and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

For circumcision indeed profits, if you are a doer of the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.

But above all things, my brothers, don’t swear— not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”, so that you don’t fall into hypocrisy.

When a man vows a vow to Yahweh, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

“If she vowed in her husband’s house or bound her soul by a bond with an oath,

‘Cursed is he who doesn’t uphold the words of this law by doing them.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ ”

It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”

The men said to her, “We will be guiltless of this your oath which you’ve made us to swear.

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them. Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh in Mizpah.

Behold, the days come that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, that there will not be an old man in your house.

When the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself.

he who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man;

He raises his hands against his friends. He has violated his covenant.

Make vows to Yahweh your God, and fulfill them! Let all of his neighbors bring presents to him who is to be feared.

I have sworn, and have confirmed it, that I will obey your righteous ordinances.

Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise person, and he will love you.

Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the punishment of fools is their folly.

The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

For Yahweh has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and he has covered your heads, the seers.

Who is blind, but my servant? Or who is as deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is as blind as he who is at peace, and as blind as Yahweh’s servant?

Who has fashioned a god, or molds an image that is profitable for nothing?

Yahweh said, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak this word, there:

But we will certainly perform every word that has gone out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil.

“A sword is on the Chaldeans,” says Yahweh, “and on the inhabitants of Babylon, on her princes, and on her wise men.

It will be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will repay them for their deeds.

Yahweh says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, “Peace!” and whoever doesn’t provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:

I will bring distress on men, that they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the male goats; For Yahweh of Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his majestic horse in the battle.

A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! For the pride of the Jordan is ruined.

Then I said, “I will not feed you. That which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let those who are left eat each other’s flesh.”

Yahweh said to me, “Take for yourself yet again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.

Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword will be on his arm, and on his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blinded!”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?’

for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”

“He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.”

Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he didn’t obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.

But I call God for a witness to my soul, that I didn’t come to Corinth to spare you.

Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;

Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.