11 Bible Verses about Ritual Washing

And I said to him, My Lord, you know. And he said to me, These are those who come out from great affliction, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Blessed are they that keep his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and enter by the gates into the city.

HAVING therefore, brothers, confidence in respect to the entrance into the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, which [entrance] he consecrated for us a new and living way through the vail, that is his flesh, and [having] a great priest over the house of God,read more.
let us approach with a true heart in a full assurance of faith, sprinkled in heart from an evil conscience, and washed in body with pure water,

Then he put water into the wash-basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. Then he came to Simon Peter; he said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, What I do you know not now, but you shall know hereafter.read more.
Peter said to him, You shall never by any means wash my feet. He answered him, Unless I wash you you have no part with me. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and my head. Jesus said to him, He that is washed needs only that his feet should be washed, but is wholly pure; and you are pure, but not all.

draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, purify your hearts, double-minded.

And there were six stone water jars there, placed for the purification of the Jews, containing two or three metretes [16.75 or 25.125 gallons] each.

Then there was a controversy of the disciples of John with a Jew concerning purification.

THEN came the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, saying, Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders, for they wash not their hands when they eat bread? And he answered and said to them, Why do you transgress the command of God by your tradition?read more.
For God said, Honor your father and mother; and he that reviles father or mother, let him surely die. But you say, Whoever says to his father or mother what you might be profited with by me is a gift, then he shall not honor his father or his mother; and you have made the law of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophecy of you, saying; This people honors me with the lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching teachings and commandments of men. And having called the multitude, he said, Hear and understand. Not that which enters into the mouth, defiles the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth that defiles the man.

AND the Pharisees and some of the scribes having come from Jerusalem came together to him, and seeing some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, unwashed hands, [they found fault]. For the Pharisees and all the Jews eat not unless they wash their hands with the fist, holding the tradition of the elders.read more.
And from a market, unless they baptize they eat not; and there are many other [customs] which they have received to hold; baptisms, of cups and sextuses [ And the Pharisees and scribes asked, Why do not your disciples conform to the tradition of the elders; but eat bread with defiled hands? And he said to them, Well did Isaiah prophecy of you, hypocrites, as it is written; This people honors me with the lips, but their heart is far from me; but in vain do they worship me, teaching for teachings the commandments of men; for leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men. And he said to them, Well do you reject the commandment of God, to keep your tradition; for Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and, He that reviles father or mother, let him surely die. But you say, If a man says to his father or mother, It is a corban, which is a gift, by whatever you might be profited by me, [he shall be free]; and suffer him no longer to do any thing for his father or his mother; making the word of God of no effect by your tradition which you have delivered; and many such things you do. And again calling all the people, he said to them, Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing which being out of a man entering into him, can defile him; but those things which proceed from the man, these are the things which defile the man. (Added verse not retained in Sawyer) And when he had gone from the multitude into the house, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he said to them, Are you also so without understanding? Do you not understand that nothing which enters into a man from without can defile him, because it enters not into his heart, but into the stomach, and goes out to the earth, purifying all aliments? But he said, that which comes out of the man, this defiles him; for from within, from the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetousness, malice, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.

And when he was speaking, a certain Pharisee asked him to breakfast with him; and he went in and immediately sat down. And the Pharisee seeing him, wondered that he was not first baptized before breakfast. And the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and plate, but your inside is full of plunder and wickedness.read more.
Senseless men! did not he that made the outside make also the inside? But give the things within in charity, and behold, all things are pure to you.

And these being thus provided, the priests enter into the first tabernacle continually, performing the services, but into the second once a year only the chief priest [enters], not without blood, which he offers for his errors and those of the people, the Holy Spirit showing this, that the way into the sanctuary is not made manifest while the first tabernacle yet has a standing,read more.
which is a type of the time at hand, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the worshipper as to the conscience, only in meats and drinks and different baptisms, and external ordinances, imposed till the time of reformation. But Christ having come, a chief priest of the good times that were to come, with a greater and a more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, not with blood of goats and bullocks, but with his own blood, entered once into the sanctuary having found eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the defiled, sanctifies to the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who with an eternal spirit offered himself without fault to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.