Matthew 15

Worldwide English (New Testament)

15 Then some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus.

² They asked him, `Why do your disciples break the law our fathers made? They do not wash their hands before they eat.'

³ Jesus asked them, `Why do you break God's law so that you can keep your own law?

⁴ God said, "Respect your father and your mother." And God said, "Anyone who says wrong things to his father or his mother will surely die."

⁵ `But you say, "Tell your father or your mother that you have given to God what you were going to give to them." You say, "If anyone says that, then he does not need to help his father or mother."

⁶ You make God's law to mean nothing so you can keep your own laws!

⁷ You are not true to yourselves! What Isaiah said about you was true. He said,

⁸ "These people respect me with their mouth but their heart is far from me.

⁹ They do not mean it in their hearts when they worship me. Their teachings are only the words of men." '

¹⁰ Jesus called the people to him. He said to them, `Listen to me and understand what I say.

¹¹ What goes into a person's mouth does not make him dirty. But what comes out of a person's mouth makes him dirty.'

¹² Then the disciples came to Jesus. They said, `The Pharisees were angry when they heard what you said. Did you know that?'

¹³ Jesus answered, `Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled out by the roots.

¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind men who are trying to lead blind men. If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a hole.'

¹⁵ Peter said to Jesus, `Tell us the meaning of that story.'

¹⁶ Jesus said, `Do you still not understand?

¹⁷ Do you not know this? What goes into the mouth goes into the stomach, and then it goes out of the body.

¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth, comes from the heart. This is what makes a person dirty.

¹⁹ Here is what comes from the heart: wrong thoughts, killing people, all kinds of adultery, stealing, lying, and saying wrong things about people.

²⁰ These things make a person dirty. To eat with hands that are not washed does not make him dirty.'

²¹ Jesus left that place and went to the country of Tyre and Sidon. 22A woman of the people of Canaan was in that country. She called out, `Sir, you are the Son of David. Help me! My daughter is being troubled very much by a bad spirit.'

²² Jesus did not answer her. His disciples came to him and said, `Send her away. She keeps calling after us.'

²³ He said, `I was sent only to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep.'

²⁴ But the woman came and bowed down in front of Jesus and worshipped him. She said, `Sir, help me.'

²⁵ He said, `It is not right to take the children's food and give it to the little dogs.'

²⁶ She answered, `Yes, sir. But even the little dogs eat the food that falls from the tables of their masters.'

²⁷ Then Jesus answered, `Woman, you believe very much. The thing you want me to do will be done.' And her daughter was healed at that very time.

²⁸ Jesus went on from there along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a hill and sat down there.

²⁹ Many people came to him. They brought sick people with them. Some were lame. Some were hurt. Some were blind. Some could not talk. And there were many others. They laid them down in front of Jesus. And he healed them.

³⁰ The people were surprised. They saw that people who had not been able to talk were talking. They saw that people who were hurt were made well. They saw that lame people were walking. They saw that blind people could see. And they praised the God of Israel.

³¹ Jesus called his disciples to him. He said, `I share the suffering of the people. They have been with me for three days and they have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry. If they go away hungry, they will get weak and fall on the way.'

³² The disciples said to him, `Where can we get enough food in this lonely place to feed so many people?'

³³ Jesus said to them, `How many loaves of bread have you?' They said, `We have seven, and a few small fish.'

³⁴ He told the people to sit down on the ground.

³⁵ Then he took the seven loaves of bread and the fish. He thanked God for them. Then he broke the bread and gave it to the disciples. The disciples gave it to the people.

³⁶ They all ate and had enough. They gathered seven baskets full of pieces that were left.

³⁷ The number of people who ate was about four thousand men, besides some women and children.

³⁸ Jesus sent the people away. Then he got in the boat and went to the country around Magadan.