Matthew 15:3-20

English Standard Version

³ He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, ^(A)‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^(B)‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”^{[a] 6} he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have ^(C)made void the word^[b] of God. ^7 (D)You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

What Defiles a Person

¹⁰ And he called the people to him and said to them, ^(G)“Hear and understand: ^11 (H)it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” ¹² Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were ^(I)offended when they heard this saying?” ¹³ He answered, ^(J)“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted ^(K)will be rooted up. ¹⁴ Let them alone; ^(L)they are blind guides.^[c] And ^(M)if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ But Peter said to him, ^(N)“Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ And he said, ^(O)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that ^(P)whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?^{[d] 18} But ^(Q)what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come ^(R)evil thoughts, ^(S)murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, ^(T)slander. ^20 (U)These are what defile a person. But ^(V)to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”