³⁹ Some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you speak well."

³⁴ But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together.

³⁵ One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.

³⁶ "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

³⁷ Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹ A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

⁴⁰ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

²⁸ One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together. Knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the greatest of all?"

²⁹ Jesus answered, "The greatest is, 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one:

³⁰ you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.

³¹ The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

³² The scribe said to him, "Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he,

³³ and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." No one dared ask him any question after that.

⁹ A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees part stood up, and contended, saying, "We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let's not fight against God!"