⁹ There he went into a cave^(A) and spent the night.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”^(B)

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous^(C) for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,^(D) torn down your altars,^(E) and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,^(F) and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain^(G) in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”^(H)

Then a great and powerful wind^(I) tore the mountains apart and shattered^(J) the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire,^(K) but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.^{(L) 13} When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face^(M) and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,^(N) and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael^(O) king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint^(P) Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha^(Q) son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah^(R) to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael,^(S) and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.^{(T) 18} Yet I reserve^(U) seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed^(V) him.”

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{[a](A) 6} But the righteousness that is by faith^(B) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[b](C) (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[c](D) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).^{(E) 8} But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[d](F) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare^(G) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(H) and believe^(I) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^(J) you will be saved.^{(K) 10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[e](L) 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^(M)—the same Lord is Lord of all^(N) and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^(O) will be saved.”^[f](P)

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[g](Q)

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them,^(A) but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”^(B)

¹² Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted^(C) will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them; they are blind guides.^[a](D) If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”^(E)

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”^(F)

¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?”^(G) Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart,^(H) and these defile them. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.^{(I) 20} These are what defile a person;^(J) but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman^(K)

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

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.”^(O)

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him.^(P) “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!^(Q) Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.