A Gentile Mother’s Faith

21 When Jesus left there,(A) He withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.(B) 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out,[a] “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.”(C)

23 Yet He did not say a word to her. So His disciples(D) approached Him and urged Him, “Send her away because she cries out after us.”[b]

24 He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”(E)

25 But she came, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, help me!”

26 He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.”(F)

27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!”

28 Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment[c] her daughter was cured.(G)

Healing Many People

29 Moving on from there,(H) Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee.(I) He went up on a mountain and sat there, 30 and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them. 31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.(J) And they gave glory to the God of Israel.

Feeding 4,000

32 Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said,(K) “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; otherwise they might collapse on the way.”

33 The disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place(L) to fill such a crowd?”

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them.

“Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”

35 After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 He took the seven loaves and the fish, and He gave thanks, broke them, and kept on giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.(M) 37 They all ate and were filled. Then they collected the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full. 38 Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children. 39 After dismissing the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.[d](N)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:22 Other mss read and cried out to Him
  2. Matthew 15:23 Lit she is yelling behind us or after us
  3. Matthew 15:28 Lit hour
  4. Matthew 15:39 Other mss read Magdala

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman(A)

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.(B) 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David,(C) have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”(D)

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”(E)

25 The woman came and knelt before him.(F) “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!(G) Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand(H)(I)(J)

29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.(K) 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.(L)

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people;(M) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them(N) and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.(O) 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

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