Matthew 15
The Voice
15 Some Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to ask Jesus a question.
Scribes and Pharisees: 2 The law of Moses has always held that one must ritually wash his hands before eating. Why don’t Your disciples observe this tradition?
3 Jesus turned the Pharisees’ question back on them.
Jesus: Why do you violate God’s command because of your tradition? 4 God said, “Honor your father and mother.[a] Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.”[b] 5-6 But you say that one need no longer honor his parents so long as he says to them, “What you might have gained from me, I now give to the glory of God.” Haven’t you let your tradition trump the word of God? 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah must have had you in mind when he prophesied,
8 People honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are nowhere near Me.
9 Because they elevate mere human ritual to the status of law,
their worship of Me is a meaningless sham.[c]
10 (to the multitude) Hear and understand this: 11 What you put into your mouth cannot make you clean or unclean; it is what comes out of your mouth that can make you unclean.
12 Later the disciples came to Him.
Disciples: Do You realize the Pharisees were shocked by what You said?
Jesus: 13 Every plant planted by someone other than My heavenly Father will be plucked up by the roots. 14 So let them be. They are blind guides. What happens when one blind person leads another? Both of them fall into a ditch.
Peter: 15 Explain that riddle to us.
Jesus: 16 Do you still not see? 17 Don’t you understand that whatever you take in through your mouth makes its way to your stomach and eventually out of the bowels of your body? 18 But the things that come out of your mouth—your curses, your fears, your denunciations—these come from your heart, and it is the stirrings of your heart that can make you unclean. 19 For your heart harbors evil thoughts—fantasies of murder, adultery, and whoring; fantasies of stealing, lying, and slandering. 20 These make you unclean—not eating with a hand you’ve not ritually purified with a splash of water and a prayer.
21 Jesus left that place and withdrew to Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman—a non-Jew—came to Him.
Canaanite Woman (wailing): Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is possessed by a demon. Have mercy, Lord!
23 Jesus said nothing. And the woman continued to wail. His disciples came to Him.
Disciples: Do something—she keeps crying after us!
Jesus: 24 I was sent here only to gather up the lost sheep of Israel.
25 The woman came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.
Canaanite Woman: Lord, help me!
Jesus: 26 It is not right to waste the children’s bread by feeding dogs.
Canaanite Woman: 27 But, Lord, even dogs eat the crumbs that fall by the table as their master is eating.
28 Jesus—whose ancestors included Ruth and Rahab—spoke with kindness and insight.
Jesus: Woman, you have great faith. And your request is done.
And her daughter was healed, right then and from then on.
29 Jesus left and went to the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountaintop and sat down. 30 Crowds thronged to Him there, bringing the lame, the maimed, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many other sick and broken people. They laid them at His feet, and He healed them. 31 The people saw the mute speaking, the lame walking, the maimed made whole, the crippled dancing, and the blind seeing; and the people were amazed, and they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus (to His disciples): 32 We must take pity on these people for they have touched My heart; they have been with Me for three days, and they don’t have any food. I don’t want to send them home this hungry—they might collapse on the way!
Disciples: 33 We’ll never find enough food for all these people, out here in the middle of nowhere!
Jesus: 34 How much bread do you have?
Disciples: Seven rounds of flatbread and a few small fish.
35 He told the crowd to sit down. 36 He took the bread and the fish, He gave thanks, and then He broke the bread and divided the fish. He gave the bread and fish to the disciples, the disciples distributed them to the people, 37 and everyone ate and was satisfied. When everyone had eaten, the disciples picked up seven baskets of crusts and broken pieces and crumbs.
38 There were 4,000 men there, not to mention all the women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent the crowd away. He got into the boat and went to Magadan.
Matthew 15
New Matthew Bible
Christ defends his disciples, and rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for transgressing God’s commandments through their own precepts. What goes into the mouth does not defile a man. He delivers the Canaanite woman’s daughter, heals the multitude, and with seven loaves and a few little fishes feeds 4,000 men, as well as women and children.
15 Then scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 Why do your disciples transgress the precepts of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. 3 He answered and said to them, And why do you transgress the commandment of God through your precepts? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour your father and mother, and, He who curses father or mother shall suffer death. 5 But you say every man should tell his father or mother, That which you desire of me, to help you with, is given for God – 6 and so he should not honour his father or mother. And thus you have made the commandment of God to be without effect, through your precepts. 7 Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draws near to me with their mouths, and honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 And in vain they worship me, teaching doctrines which are nothing but men’s precepts.
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, Hear and understand: 11 that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man, but that which comes out of the mouth defiles a man.
12 Then his disciples came and said to him, Do you perceive how the Pharisees are offended in hearing this saying? 13 He answered and said, All plants that my heavenly Father has not planted shall be plucked up by the roots. 14 Let them alone. They are the blind leaders of the blind. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.
15 Then Peter answered and said to him, Explain the parable to us. 16 Jesus said, Are you still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes in at the mouth descends down into the stomach, and is cast out into the drain? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, breaking of wedlock, whoredom, theft, bearing of false witness, slander. 20 These are the things that defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person.
21 And Jesus went from there, and withdrew to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a woman who was a Canaanite came out of the same region and cried out to him, saying, Have mercy on me, Lord Son of David! My daughter is piteously vexed with a devil. 23 But he gave her never a word in answer. Then his disciples came to him and urged him, saying, Send her away; she is following us, crying. 24 He answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then she came and worshipped him, saying, Master, help me! 26 He answered and said, It is not good to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs. 27 She answered and said, True, Lord; nevertheless, the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! Let it be unto you even as you desire.
And her daughter was made whole even at that same hour.
29 Then Jesus went away from there, and came near to the Sea of Galilee, 30 and went up on a mountain and sat down there. And crowds of people came to him, having with them people who were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and put them down at Jesus’ feet. 31 And he healed them, and the people were in wonderment to see the dumb speak, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I have compassion on the people, because they have continued with me now for three days, and have nothing to eat. I do not want to let them go away without eating, lest they faint along the road. 33 And his disciples said to him, Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a great number of people? 34 And Jesus said to them, How many loaves do you have? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
35 And he directed the people to sit down on the ground, 36 and took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples; and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 And they did all eat, and were satisfied. And of the pieces left over they took up seven baskets full – 38 and yet those who ate were 4,000 men, as well as women and children.
39 And Jesus sent the people away, boarded the boat, and went to the region of Magdala.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.