Matthew 15:10-20

Expanded Bible

¹⁰ After Jesus called the crowd to him, he said, “Listen and ·understand what I am saying [try to understand]. ¹¹ It is not what ·people put into their mouths [^Lgoes into the mouth] that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person]. It is what comes out of their mouths that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person].”

¹² Then his ·followers [disciples] came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees are ·angry [offended; shocked] because of what you said?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted himself will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ ·Stay away from the Pharisees [^LLeave/Ignore them]; they are blind ·leaders [guides].^[a] And if a blind person ·leads [guides] a blind person, both will fall into a ·ditch [pit; hole].”

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the ·example [parable] to us.”

¹⁶ Jesus said, “·Do you still not understand [^LAre you still so dull/foolish]? ¹⁷ ·Surely you know [^LDon’t you know…?] that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then goes ·out of the body [^Linto the sewer/latrine].” ¹⁸ But ·what people say with their mouths [^Lthe things that come out of the mouth] comes from the ·way they think [^Lthe heart]; these are the things that ·make people unclean [pollute/defiled a person]. ¹⁹ [^LFor] Out of the ·mind [heart] come evil ·thoughts [intentions; ideas], murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, ·lying [false witness/testimony], and ·speaking evil of others [slander; blasphemy]. ²⁰ These things make people ·unclean [polluted; defiled]; eating with unwashed hands does not make them ·unclean [polluted; defiled].”