The Question about Paying Taxes^(A)

¹⁵ The Pharisees went off and made a plan to trap Jesus with questions. ¹⁶ Then they sent to him some of their disciples and some members of Herod's party. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you tell the truth. You teach the truth about God's will for people, without worrying about what others think, because you pay no attention to anyone's status. ¹⁷ Tell us, then, what do you think? Is it against our Law to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”

¹⁸ Jesus, however, was aware of their evil plan, and so he said, “You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin for paying the tax!”

They brought him the coin, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose face and name are these?”

²¹ “The Emperor's,” they answered.

So Jesus said to them, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

²⁰ So they looked for an opportunity. They bribed some men to pretend they were sincere, and they sent them to trap Jesus with questions, so that they could hand him over to the authority and power of the Roman Governor. ²¹ These spies said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people. ²² Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”

²³ But Jesus saw through their trick and said to them, ²⁴ “Show me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?”

“The Emperor's,” they answered.

²⁵ So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”

²⁶ There before the people they could not catch him in a thing, so they kept quiet, amazed at his answer.