Matthew 15:10–20

Defilement from Within

¹⁰And summoning the crowd, he said to them, “Hear and understand: ¹¹It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.” ¹²Then the disciples came and^* said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they^* heard this saying?” ¹³And he answered and^* said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴Let^h them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵But Peter answered and^* said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶But he said, “Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the stomach and is evacuated into the latrine? ¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person. ¹⁹For from the heart come evil plans, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, abusive speech. ²⁰These are the things that defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person!”