Mafundisho Ya Mafarisayo

15 Baadhi ya walimu wa sheria na Mafarisayo kutoka Yerusalemu walikuja kwa Yesu wakamwuliza, “Mbona wanafunzi wako hawafu ati mafundisho ya wazee wetu? Kwa maana wao hawanawi mikono ka bla ya kula!” Yesu akawajibu, “Mbona ninyi mnazivunja amri za Mungu kwa ajili ya mafundisho yenu? Kwa maana Mungu alisema: ‘Waheshimu baba yako na mama yako’ na ‘Ye yote amtukanaye baba yake au mama yake, na auawe.’ Lakini ninyi mnasema kwamba mtu akimwambia baba yake au mama yake, ‘Kile ambacho ningeweza kuku saidia nacho nimekitoa kwa Mungu,’ basi hana wajibu tena wa kum saidia baba yake. Basi kwa ajili ya mafundisho yenu mnavunja amri ya Mungu. Ninyi wanafiki! Isaya alisema sawa juu yenu alipotabiri kwamba: ‘Watu hawa huniheshimu kwa midomo yao, lakini mioyo yao iko mbali nami. Kuniabudu kwao ni bure, na mafundisho yao ni maagizo ya wanadamu.’ ”

Usafi Wa Kweli

10 Yesu akaita ule umati wa watu akawaambia, “Sikilizeni kwa makini na mwelewe: 11 kinachomfanya mtu kuwa mchafu mbele ya Mungu si kile kiingiacho kinywani mwake, bali ni kile kitokacho kinywani mwake.” 12 Kisha wanafunzi wake wakaja wakamwambia, “Unafahamu kwamba Mafarisayo walichukizwa sana na yale maneno uliyosema?”

13 Akawajibu, “Kila mmea ambao Baba yangu wa mbinguni hakuupanda, utang’olewa. 14 Waacheni; wao ni viongozi vipofu. Na kama kipofu akimwongoza kipofu mwenzake, wote wawili watatumbukia shimoni.”

15 Petro akasema, “Tuambie maana ya mfano huo.” 16 Yesu akawauliza, “Hata na ninyi bado hamwelewi? 17 Hamtambui kwamba cho chote kiingiacho mdomoni hupitia tumboni na hatimaye hutolewa nje? 18 Lakini kitokacho kinywani hutoka moyoni, na hiki ndicho kinachomfanya mtu kuwa mchafu. 19 Kwa maana ndani ya moyo hutoka mawazo machafu, uuaji, uzinzi, uasherati, wizi, ushahidi wa uongo na matukano. 20 Haya ndio yamchafuayo mtu, lakini kula bila kunawa mikono hakumchafui mtu.”

21 Na Yesu akaondoka mahali hapo akaenda sehemu za Tiro na Sidoni. 22 Mwanamke mmoja Mkanaani aliyeishi sehemu hizo akaja kwake, akamlilia, akasema, “Nihurumie, Bwana, Mwana wa Daudi; binti yangu amepagawa na pepo na anasumbuka sana.” 23 Lakini Yesu hakumjibu neno. Basi wanafunzi wake wakamwendea wakamwomba, “Mwambie aende zake, kwa maana anaendelea kutupigia kelele. ” 24 Akajibu, “Nimetumwa tu kwa ajili ya kondoo wa Israeli wal iopotea.”

25 Lakini yule mwanamke akaja, akapiga magoti mbele ya Yesu akasema, “Bwana, nisaidie!” 26 Yesu akajibu, “Si haki kuchu kua chakula cha watoto na kuwatupia mbwa.” 27 Yule mwanamke akajibu, “Ndio, Bwana, lakini hata mbwa hula makombo yanayoan guka kutoka kwenye meza za mabwana wao.”

28 Ndipo Yesu akamwambia, “Mama, imani yako ni kubwa! Na ufanyiwe kama unavyotaka.” Tangu wakati huo mtoto wake akapona.

Yesu Aponya Watu Wengi

29 Yesu akaondoka mahali hapo akapita kando ya bahari ya Galilaya. Akapanda mlimani, akaketi huko . 30 Umati mkubwa wa watu wakamjia wakiwaleta viwete, vilema, vipofu, viziwi na wen gine wengi, wakawaweka karibu yake; naye akawaponya. 31 Watu wakashangaa walipoona bubu wakisema, vilema wakipona, viwete wakitembea na vipofu wakiona; wakamtukuza Mungu wa Israeli.

Yesu Alisha Watu Elfu Nne

32 Kisha Yesu akawaita wanafunzi wake akawaambia, “Nina waonea huruma watu hawa kwa maana wamekuwa nami kwa muda wa siku tatu sasa na hawana chakula. Sipendi kuwaaga wakiwa na njaa wasije wakazimia njiani.”

33 Wanafunzi wake wakasema, “Tutapata wapi chakula cha kutosha kuwalisha watu hawa wote, nasi tuko nyikani?” 34 Na Yesu akawauliza, “Mnayo mikate mingapi?” Wakamjibu, “Saba, na samaki wadogo wachache.” 35 Yesu akaamuru watu wakae chini. 36 Kisha akachukua ile mikate saba na wale samaki, akamshukuru Mungu, akavimega akawapa wanafunzi wake, nao wakawapa watu. 37 Wote wakala, wakashiba. Baadaye wanafunzi wakakusanya vipande vilivyosalia, wakajaza vikapu saba. 38 Idadi ya watu waliokula ilikuwa elfu nne bila kuhesabu wanawake na watoto.

39 Baada ya kuwaaga watu, Yesu akaingia katika mashua akaenda sehemu za Magadani.

That Which Defiles(A)

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”(B)

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a](C) and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b](D) But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.(E)[c](F)

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

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(I) will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d](J) If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”(K)

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

16 “Are you still so dull?”(M) 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,(N) and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.(O) 20 These are what defile a person;(P) but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman(Q)

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

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.”(U)

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

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand(X)(Y)(Z)

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.(AA) 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.(AB)

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people;(AC) 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(AD) 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.(AE) 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.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
  2. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
  3. Matthew 15:9 Isaiah 29:13
  4. Matthew 15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind