Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·160 of 348
"Judge not lest ye be judged."
They never said that.
What people say
"Judge not lest ye be judged."
What was actually said
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." Jesus of Nazareth (Sermon on the Mount) — Matthew 7:1 (KJV, 1611)
Why it stuck
"Lest" replaces "that ye be not" — a shift from purpose clause to consequence clause. The next verse (which explains the reasoning) is almost always dropped in popular use.
Verses 3–5 rebuke hypocrites for judging while carrying a "beam" in their own eye — the context the clipped tag loses.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.