7 ¹ A GROUP OF PHARISEES, with some doctors of the law who had come from Jerusalem, met him 7 ² and noticed that some of his disciples were eating their food with 'defiled' hands—in other words, without washing them. 7 ³ (For the Pharisees and the Jews in general never eat without washing the hands, Some witnesses insert: with the fist; others insert: frequently; or: thoroughly. in obedience to an old-established tradition; 7 ⁴ and on coming from the market-place they never eat without first washing. And there are many other points on which they have a traditional rule to maintain, for example, washing of cups and jugs and copper bowls.) 7 ⁵ Accordingly, these Pharisees and the lawyers asked him, 'Why do your disciples not conform to the ancient tradition, but eat their food with defiled hands?' 7 ^{6 [ Is.29.13. ]} He answered, 'Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites in these words: "This people pays me lip-service, but their heart is far from me: 7 ⁷ their worship of me is in vain, for they teach as doctrines the commandments of men." 7 ⁸ You neglect the commandment of God, in order to maintain the tradition of men.'

7 ⁹ He also said to them, 'How well you set aside the commandment of God in order to maintain Some witnesses read: establish. your tradition! 7 ^{10 [ Ex.20.12, Dt.5.16. ]} Moses said, "Honour your father and your mother", and, "The man who curses his father or mother must suffer death." 7 ¹¹ But you hold that if a man says to his father or mother, "Anything of mine which might have been used for your benefit is Corban"' (meaning, set apart for God), 7 ¹² 'he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. 7 ¹³ Thus by your own tradition, handed down among you, you make God's word null and void. And many other things that you do are just like that.'

7 ¹⁴ On another occasion he called the people and said to them, 'Listen to me, all of you, and understand this: 7 ¹⁵ nothing that goes into a man from outside can defile him; no, it is the things that come out of him that defile a man.' 7 ¹⁶ Some manuscripts here add: 'If you have ears to hear, then hear.'
7 ¹⁷ When he had left the people and gone indoors, his is disciples questioned him about the parable. 7 ¹⁸ He said to them, 'Are you as dull as the rest? Do you not see that nothing that goes from outside into a man can 7 ¹⁹ defile him, because it does not enter into his heart but into his stomach, and so passes out into the drain?' 7 ²⁰ Thus he declared all foods clean. He went on, 'It is what comes out of a man that defiles him. 7 ²¹ For from inside, out of a man's heart, come evil thoughts, acts of fornication, of theft, murder, 7 ²² adultery, ruthless greed, and malice; fraud, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly; 7 ²³ these evil things all come from inside, and they defile the man.'