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35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent into all that country, and brought to him all that were diseased.

36 And they besought him that they might touch but the hem of his garment. And as many as touched, were made whole.

15 Then came to him from Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, saying:

Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

But he answering, said to them: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for your tradition? For God said:

Honour thy father and mother: And: He that shall curse father or mother, let him die the death.

But you say: Whosoever shall say to father or mother, The gift whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee.

And he shall not honour his father or his mother: and you have made void the commandment of God for your tradition.

Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying:

This people honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me.

And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men.

10 And having called together the multitudes unto him, he said to them: Hear ye and understand.

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak,(A) and all who touched it were healed.

That Which Defiles(B)

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”(C)

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a](D) and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b](E) But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.(F)[c](G)

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them,(H) but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”(I)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
  2. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
  3. Matthew 15:9 Isaiah 29:13