Matthew 15:10-20 - Defilement From Within

¹⁰ And summoning the crowd, he said to them, "Hear and understand: ¹¹ 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 offended [when they] heard this saying?"

¹³ And he answered [and] said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."

¹⁵ But Peter answered [and] said to him, "Explain this parable to us."

¹⁶ But he said, "Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the stomach and is evacuated into the latrine? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person. ¹⁹ For from the heart come evil plans, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, abusive speech. ²⁰ These are the things that defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person!"

¹⁴ And summoning the crowd again, he said to them, "Listen to me, all [of you], and understand: ¹⁵ There is nothing outside of a person that is able to defile him [by] going into him. But the things that go out of a person are the things that defile a person."

¹⁷ And when he entered into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸ And he said to them, "So are you also without understanding? Do you not understand that everything [that is] outside that goes into a person [is] not able to defile him? ¹⁹ For it does not enter into his heart but into his stomach, and goes out into the latrine"--[thus] declaring all foods clean. ²⁰ And he said, "What comes out of a person, that defiles a person. ²¹ For from within, from the heart of people, come evil plans, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, ²² adulteries, [acts of] greed, malicious [deeds], deceit, licentiousness, {envy}, abusive speech, pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil [things] come from within and defile a person."