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12 They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

Paying Taxes to the Emperor. 13 [a]They sent some Pharisees(A) and Herodians to him to ensnare him(B) in his speech.[b] 14 They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?”

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Footnotes

  1. 12:13–34 In the ensuing conflicts (cf. also Mk 2:1–3:6) Jesus vanquishes his adversaries by his responses to their questions and reduces them to silence (Mk 12:34).
  2. 12:13–17 See note on Mt 22:15–22.

12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd;(A) so they left him and went away.(B)

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(C)

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians(D) to Jesus to catch him(E) in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a] to Caesar or not?

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:14 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens