⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.^[a](A)

¹⁵ there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”^[a]

²⁴ He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’^(A)

²⁰ And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. ²¹ For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, folly.

⁸ But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive^[a] language from your mouth.^{(A) 9} Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices

¹¹ it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”^{(A) 12} Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” ¹³ He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.^{(B) 14} Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.^[a] And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.”^{(C) 15} But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”^{(D) 16} Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding?^{(E) 17} Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.^{(F) 19} For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.^{(G) 20} These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”