Matthew 15

¹Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, ²“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,” ⁶he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition. ⁷You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ⁸‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. ⁹And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’” ¹⁰He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. ¹¹That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” ¹²Then the disciples came, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?” ¹³But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? ¹⁷Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? ¹⁸But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ²⁰These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.” ²¹Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²²Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!” ²³But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.” ²⁴But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. ²⁹Jesus departed from there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. ³⁰Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, ³¹so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel. ³²Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way.” ³³The disciples said to him, “Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” ³⁵He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; ³⁶and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. ³⁷They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.

World English Bible (public domain)