Matthew 22:15-22 - Paying Taxes To Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and made a plot to trap Him in argument. ¹⁶ So they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, to say to Him, "Teacher, we know that you are in the habit of telling the truth and of teaching the way of God in honesty, and you do not care what anyone says, for you are not partial. ¹⁷ So give us your opinion on the question: Is it right to pay Caesar the poll-tax, or not?"

¹⁸ But Jesus saw their malicious plot, and so asked, "Why are you testing me so, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me a poll-tax coin." ²⁰ And He asked them, "Whose likeness and title is this?"

²¹ They answered, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Pay Caesar, therefore, what belongs to Caesar, and pay God what belongs to God." ²² And when they heard it, they were dumbfounded; and they left Him and went away.

¹³ Then they sent some Pharisees and Herodians to Him to trap Him in argument. ¹⁴ And they came up and said to Him, "We know that you always tell the truth, and pay no personal consideration to anyone, but teach the way of God honestly. Is it right to pay poll-tax to Caesar, or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay it, or should we not?" Now because He saw their pretense, He said to them, "Why are you testing me so? Bring me a twenty-cent coin to look at." ¹⁶ And they brought Him one. Then He asked them, "Whose picture and title is this?" They answered Him, "Caesar's."

¹⁷ So He said, "Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and pay God what belongs to God." And they were utterly dumbfounded at Him.

²⁰ So they closely watched and sent spies who pretended to be upright men, to catch Him in His conversation, so as to turn Him over to the power and authority of the governor. ²¹ They asked Him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and show no favors to anyone, but teach the way of God honestly. ²² Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

²³ But He detected their cunning, and said to them, ²⁴ "Show me a twenty-cent coin. Whose picture and title does it bear?" They answered, "Caesar's."

²⁵ He said to them, "Then pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and pay God what belongs to God!"

²⁶ So they could not use what he said before the people, and in astonishment at His answer they said no more.