24 When they arrived at Capernaum, those who were in charge of collecting the half-shekel Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, "Your teacher does pay the half-shekel tax, doesn’t he?"

25 "Yes, of course," Peter replied.

When he returned to where they were staying, Jesus anticipated the issue. "What do you think, Simon?" Jesus asked him. "Do the kings of this world collect their taxes and duties from their own sons or from others?"

26 "From others," Peter replied. So Jesus told him, "In that case the sons are exempt. 27 But to avoid giving offense to anyone, go to the lake, and throw out a fishing line with a hook. Pull in the first fish you catch, and when you open its mouth there you’ll find a stater coin.*17:27. Worth one shekel. The Temple tax of the time was half a shekel per person. Take the coin and give it to them for both me and you."