⁶ The tongue also is a fire,^(A) a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body,^(B) sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.^(C)

¹⁵ Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,^(A) have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’^(B)

²⁰ He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹ For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed,^(A) malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves^(A) of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander,^(B) and filthy language from your lips.^{(C) 9} Do not lie to each other,^(D) since you have taken off your old self^(E) with its practices

¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them,^(A) but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”^(B)

¹² Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted^(C) will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them; they are blind guides.^[a](D) If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”^(E)

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”^(F)

¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?”^(G) Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart,^(H) and these defile them. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.^{(I) 20} These are what defile a person;^(J) but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”