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The Tradition of the Elders

15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.’ But you say, ‘If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God,[a] he need not honor his father.’ So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word[b] of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:5 Or an offering
  2. Matthew 15:6 Other ancient authorities read law

15 Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, [a]Honor thy father and thy mother: and, [b]He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him [c]die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is given to God; he shall not honor his father. [d]And ye have made void the [e]word of God because of your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

[f]This people honoreth me with their lips;
But their heart is far from me.
But in vain do they worship me,
Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:4 Ex. 20:12; Dt. 5:16.
  2. Matthew 15:4 Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9.
  3. Matthew 15:4 Or, surely die
  4. Matthew 15:6 Some ancient authorities add or his mother.
  5. Matthew 15:6 Some ancient authorities read law.
  6. Matthew 15:8 Isa. 29:13.