Matthew 15:1–20

¹Then the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem come up to Jesus, saying, ²Why do thy disciples transgress what has been delivered by the ancients? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. ³But he answering said to them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching? ⁴For God commanded saying, Honour father and mother; and, He that speaks ill of father or mother, let him die the death. ⁵But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, whatsoever it be by which received from me thou wouldest be profited: ⁶and he shall in no wise honour his father or his mother; and ye have made void the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching. ⁷Hypocrites! well has Esaias prophesied about you, saying, ⁸This people honour me with the lips, but their heart is far away from me; ⁹but in vain do they worship me, teaching as teachings commandments of men.

¹⁰And having called to him the crowd, he said to them, Hear and understand: ¹¹Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man; but what goes forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man. ¹²Then his disciples, coming up, said to him, Dost thou know that the Pharisees, having heard this word, have been offended? ¹³But he answering said, Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. ¹⁴Leave them alone; they are blind leaders of blind: but if blind lead blind, both will fall into a ditch. ¹⁵And Peter answering said to him, Expound to us this parable. ¹⁶But he said, Are ye also still without intelligence? ¹⁷Do ye not yet apprehend, that everything that enters into the mouth finds its way into the belly, and is cast forth into the draught? ¹⁸but the things which go forth out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those defile man. ¹⁹For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnessings, blasphemies; ²⁰these are the things which defile man; but the eating with unwashen hands does not defile man.