Matthew 15-17 (English Standard Version)

Matthew 15

Traditions and Commandments

 ^1(A) Then Pharisees and^(B) scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ^2(C) "Why do your disciples break^(D) the tradition of the elders?^(E) For they do not wash their hands when they eat." ³He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴For God commanded,^(F) 'Honor your father and your mother,' and,^(G) 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' ⁵But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, "What you would have gained from me is given to God,"^{[a] 6}he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have^(H) made void the word^[b] of God. ^7(I) You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
 ^8(J) "'This people honors me with their lips,
   but their heart is far from me;
⁹in vain do they worship me,
   teaching as^(K) doctrines the commandments of men.'"

What Defiles a Person

 ¹⁰And he called the people to him and said to them, ^(L) "Hear and understand: ^11(M) it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." ¹²Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were^(N) offended when they heard this saying?" ¹³He answered, ^(O) "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted^(P) will be rooted up. ¹⁴Let them alone;^(Q) they are blind guides.^[c] And^(R) if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." ¹⁵But Peter said to him,^(S) "Explain the parable to us." ¹⁶And he said, ^(T) "Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷Do you not see that^(U) whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?^{[d] 18}But^(V) what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹For out of the heart come^(W) evil thoughts,^(X) murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness,^(Y) slander. ^20(Z) These are what defile a person. But^(AA) to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

 ^21(AB) And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²And behold,^(AC) a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying,^(AD) "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." ²³But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying,^(AE) "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." ²⁴He answered, ^(AF) "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." ²⁵But she came and^(AG) knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." ²⁶And he answered, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and^(AH) throw it to the dogs." ²⁷She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat^(AI) the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, "O woman,^(AJ) great is your faith!^(AK) Be it done for you as you desire."^(AL) And her daughter was healed instantly.^[e]

Jesus Heals Many

 ^29(AM) Jesus went on from there and walked^(AN) beside the Sea of Galilee. And he^(AO) went up on the mountain and sat down there. ³⁰And great crowds came to him, bringing with them^(AP) the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, ^31(AQ) so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking,^(AR) the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And^(AS) they glorified^(AT) the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

 ^32(AU) Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ^(AV) "I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." ³³And the disciples said to him, "Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?" ³⁴And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said,^(AW) "Seven, and a few small fish." ³⁵And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, ³⁶he took the seven loaves and the fish, and^(AX) having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷And^(AY) they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ³⁸Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of^(AZ) Magadan.

Matthew 16

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

 ^1(BA) And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and^(BB) to test him^(BC) they asked him to show them^(BD) a sign from heaven. ²He answered them,^{[f] (BE)} "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' ³And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.'^(BF) You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret^(BG) the signs of the times. ^4(BH) An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So^(BI) he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

 ⁵When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶Jesus said to them, "Watch and^(BJ) beware of^(BK) the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ⁷And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." ⁸But^(BL) Jesus, aware of this, said, ^(BM) "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? ^9(BN) Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember^(BO) the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹⁰Or^(BP) the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹¹How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread?^(BQ) Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ^12(BR) Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of^(BS) the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

 ^13(BT) Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" ¹⁴And they said, "Some say^(BU) John the Baptist, others say^(BV) Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." ¹⁵He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" ¹⁶Simon Peter replied,^(BW) "You are^(BX) the Christ,^(BY) the Son of^(BZ) the living God." ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, ^(CA) "Blessed are you,^(CB) Simon Bar-Jonah! For^(CC) flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,^(CD) but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you,^(CE) you are Peter, and^(CF) on this rock^[g] I will build my church, and^(CG) the gates of^(CH) hell^[h] shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you^(CI) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and^(CJ) whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[i] in heaven." ^20(CK) Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

 ^21(CL) From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that^(CM) he must go to Jerusalem and^(CN) suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on^(CO) the third day be raised. ²²And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord!^[j] This shall never happen to you." ²³But he turned and said to Peter, ^(CP) "Get behind me, Satan! You are^(CQ) a hindrance^[k] to me. For you^(CR) are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

 ²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him^(CS) deny himself and^(CT) take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For^(CU) whoever would save his life^[l] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶For^(CV) what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or^(CW) what shall a man give in return for his soul? ^27(CX) For the Son of Man is going to come with^(CY) his angels in the glory of his Father, and^(CZ) then he will repay each person according to what he has done. ²⁸Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not^(DA) taste death^(DB) until they see the Son of Man^(DC) coming in his kingdom."

Matthew 17

The Transfiguration

 ^1(DD) And after six days Jesus took with him^(DE) Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ²And he was^(DF) transfigured before them, and^(DG) his face shone like the sun, and^(DH) his clothes became white as light. ³And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for^(DI) Elijah." ⁵He was still speaking when, behold,^(DJ) a bright cloud overshadowed them, and^(DK) a voice from the cloud said,^(DL) "This is my beloved Son,^[m] with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." ⁶When^(DM) the disciples heard this,^(DN) they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷But Jesus came and^(DO) touched them, saying, "Rise, and^(DP) have no fear." ⁸And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

 ^9(DQ) And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^(DR) "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead." ¹⁰And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say^(DS) that first Elijah must come?" ¹¹He answered, "Elijah does come, and^(DT) he will restore all things. ¹²But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but^(DU) did to him whatever they pleased.^(DV) So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands." ^13(DW) Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

 ^14(DX) And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, ¹⁵said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is^(DY) an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶And I brought him to your disciples, and^(DZ) they could not heal him." ¹⁷And Jesus answered, "O faithless and^(EA) twisted generation, how long am I to be with you?^(EB) How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." ¹⁸And Jesus^(EC) rebuked the demon,^[n] and it^[o] came out of him, and^(ED) the boy was healed instantly.^{[p] 19}Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁰He said to them, ^(EE) "Because of your little faith. For^(EF) truly, I say to you,^(EG) if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed,^(EH) you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and^(EI) nothing will be impossible for you."^[q]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

 ^22(EJ) As they were gathering^[r] in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³and they will kill him, and he will be raised on^(EK) the third day." And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

 ^24(EL) When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of^(EM) the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the tax?" ²⁵He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ^(EN) "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or^(EO) tax? From their sons or from others?" ²⁶And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. ²⁷However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.^[s] Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."