Book of Common Prayer

²⁵ At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and lauding God, and the prisoners heard them. ²⁶ And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundation of the prison was shaken. And immediately all the doors opened, and every man’s bonds were loosed. ²⁷ When the keeper of the prison awoke out of his sleep and saw the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!

²⁹ Then he called for a light and rushed in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, ³⁰ and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, and your household. ³² And they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds, and was baptized with all who belonged to him straightaway. ³⁴ When he had brought Paul and Silas into his house, he set food before them, and rejoiced that he with all his household believed on God.

³⁵ And when it was day, the magistrates sent their officers, saying, Let those men go. ³⁶ The keeper of the prison told this to Paul, saying, The magistrates have sent word to release you; now therefore take your leave, and go in peace.

³⁷ Then Paul said to them, They have beaten us openly, without a trial, for all that we are Romans, and have cast us into prison. And now would they send us away quietly? No, not so, but let them come themselves and get us out.

³⁸ When the officers told these words to the magistrates, they feared, hearing that Paul and Silas were Romans, ³⁹ and came and entreated them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. ⁴⁰ And they went out of the prison and entered into the house of Lydia. And when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them and departed.

The disciples eat with unwashed hands. The commandment of God is transgressed by man’s precepts. Of the woman of Syro-Phoenicia. Of the Sabbath.

7 And the Pharisees came together to him, and some of the scribes who came from Jerusalem. ² And when they saw certain of his disciples eat bread with common hands (that is to say, with unwashed hands), they complained. ³ For the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands often, will not eat, observing the precepts of the elders. ⁴ And when they come from the market, unless they wash, they will not eat. And there are many other things that they have taken upon themselves to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers, and of copper pots, and of tables.

⁵ Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why do your disciples not walk according to the precepts of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? ⁶ He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷ In vain they worship me, teaching doctrines which are nothing but the commandments of men. ⁸ For you lay the commandment of God aside, and observe the precepts of men, such as the washing of pitchers and of cups. And many other suchlike things you do.

⁹ And he said to them, All too well do you cast aside the commandment of God to maintain your own precepts. ¹⁰ For Moses said, Honour your father and your mother, and whosoever curses father or mother, let him die for it. ¹¹ But you say a man should say to father or mother, Corban, which is, What you ask me for, to help you with, is dedicated to God. ¹² And so you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, ¹³ making the word of God of no effect through your own precepts, which you have established. And many such things you do.

¹⁴ And he called all the people to him and said to them, Hearken unto me, every one of you, and understand. ¹⁵ There is nothing outside a man that can defile him when it enters into him. But those things that proceed out of him are the things that defile a man. ¹⁶ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.

¹⁷ And when he went indoors, away from the people, his disciples asked him about the similitude. ¹⁸ And he said to them, Are you also without understanding? Do you not yet perceive that whatever thing from without enters into a person, it cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it enters not into his heart, but into the stomach, and goes out into the drain that carries away all foods?

²⁰ And he said, What defiles a man is that which comes out of a man. ²¹ For from within, namely out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts: adultery, fornication, murder, ²² theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, uncleanness, a wicked eye, slander, pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within, and defile a person.