¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that ^(A)whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But ^(B)those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ^19 (C)For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

The Law, the Prophets, and the Kingdom

¹⁴ Now the Pharisees, ^(A)who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they ^[a]derided Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “You are those who ^(B)justify yourselves ^(C)before men, but ^(D)God knows your hearts. For ^(E)what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

³⁷ Jesus said to him, ^(A)“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

^35 (A)“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother ^[a]his trespasses.”

¹³ But go and learn what this means: ^(A)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, ^(B)but sinners, ^[a]to repentance.”

John Preaches to the People^(A)

⁷ Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ^(B)“Brood^[a] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits ^(C)worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore ^(D)every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

A Tree Known by Its Fruit^(A)

³³ “Either make the tree good and ^(B)its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. ^34 (C)Brood^[a] of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? ^(D)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.