Followers of Tradition

1 aThe Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come bfrom Jerusalem,

2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with aimpure hands, that is, unwashed.

3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they 1carefully wash their hands, thus observing the atraditions of the elders;

4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they 1cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the 2washing of acups and pitchers and copper pots.)

5 The Pharisees and the scribes * asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the atradition of the elders, but eat their bread with bimpure hands?”

6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘aThis people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far away from Me.

7 ‘aBut in vain do they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’

8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the atradition of men.”

9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your atradition.

10 “For Moses said, ‘aHonor your father and your mother’; and, ‘bHe who speaks evil of father or mother, is to 1be put to death’;

11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is aCorban (that is to say, 1given to God),’

12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother;

13 thus invalidating the word of God by your atradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”