Matthew 9:36-15:32

English Standard Version

^36 (A)When he saw the crowds, ^(B)he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, ^(C)like sheep without a shepherd. ^37 (D)Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ^(E)pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to ^(F)send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Twelve Apostles

10 ^(G)And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. ^2 (H)The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, ^(I)who is called Peter, and ^(J)Andrew his brother; ^(K)James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and ^(L)Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;^{[a] 4} Simon the Zealot,^[b] and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

^5 (M)These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of ^(N)the Samaritans, ^6 (O)but go rather to ^(P)the lost sheep of ^(Q)the house of Israel. ⁷ And proclaim as you go, saying, ^(R)‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’^{[c] 8 (S)}Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,^[d] cast out demons. ^(T)You received without paying; give without pay. ^9 (U)Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, ¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics^[e] or sandals or a staff, for ^(V)the laborer deserves his food. ¹¹ And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. ¹² As you enter the house, ^(W)greet it. ¹³ And if the house is ^(X)worthy, let ^(Y)your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let ^(Z)your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, ^(AA)shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, ^(AB)it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for ^(AC)the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Persecution Will Come

^16 (AD)“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be ^(AE)wise as serpents and ^(AF)innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Beware of men, for ^(AG)they will deliver you over to courts and flog you ^(AH)in their synagogues, ^18 (AI)and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, ^(AJ)to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. ^19 (AK)When ^(AL)they deliver you over, ^(AM)do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for ^(AN)what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ^20 (AO)For it is not you who speak, but ^(AP)the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ^21 (AQ)Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, ^22 (AR)and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ^(AS)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they ^(AT)persecute you in one town, ^(AU)flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel ^(AV)before the Son of Man comes.

^24 (AW)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant^[f] above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. ^(AX)If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign^[g] those of his household.

Have No Fear

²⁶ “So have no fear of them, ^(AY)for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on ^(AZ)the housetops. ²⁸ And ^(BA)do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him ^(BB)who can destroy both soul and body in hell.^{[h] 29} Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[i] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But ^(BC)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; ^(BD)you are of more value than many sparrows. ^32 (BE)So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but ^(BF)whoever denies me before men, ^(BG)I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

^34 (BH)“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. ^(BI)I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ^35 (BJ)For I have come ^(BK)to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ^36 (BL)And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. ^37 (BM)Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And ^(BN)whoever does not take his cross and ^(BO)follow me is not worthy of me. ^39 (BP)Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

^40 (BQ)“Whoever receives you receives me, and ^(BR)whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ^41 (BS)The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. ⁴² And ^(BT)whoever gives one of ^(BU)these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Messengers from John the Baptist

11 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

^2 (BV)Now when John heard ^(BW)in prison about the deeds of ^(BX)the Christ, he sent word by ^(BY)his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you ^(BZ)the one who is to come, or shall we ^(CA)look for another?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ^5 (CB)the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers^[j] are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and ^(CC)the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who ^(CD)is not offended by me.”

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ^(CE)into the wilderness to see? ^(CF)A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man^[k] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? ^(CG)A prophet?^[l] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written,

¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ^12 (CI)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,^[m] and the violent take it by force. ^13 (CJ)For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is ^(CK)Elijah who is to come. ^15 (CL)He who has ears to hear,^[n] let him hear.

¹⁶ “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

¹⁸ For John came ^(CM)neither eating ^(CN)nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came ^(CO)eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, ^(CP)a friend of ^(CQ)tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”^[o]

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

^20 (CR)Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. ^21 (CS)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in ^(CT)Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ^22 (CU)But I tell you, it will be more bearable on ^(CV)the day of judgment for ^(CW)Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³ And you, ^(CX)Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to ^(CY)Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ^24 (CZ)But I tell you that ^(DA)it will be more tolerable on ^(DB)the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

^25 (DC)At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, ^(DD)Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(DE)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and ^(DF)revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your ^(DG)gracious will.^{[p] 27 (DH)}All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son ^(DI)except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone ^(DJ)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ^28 (DK)Come to ^(DL)me, all who labor and are ^(DM)heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and ^(DN)learn from me, for I am ^(DO)gentle and lowly in heart, and ^(DP)you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For ^(DQ)my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time ^(DR)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^(DS)they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^(DT)“Look, your disciples are doing ^(DU)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³ He said to them, ^(DV)“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate ^(DW)the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read ^(DX)in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶ I tell you, ^(DY)something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ And if you had known ^(DZ)what this means, ^(EA)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For ^(EB)the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁹ He went on from there and ^(EC)entered their synagogue. ¹⁰ And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^(ED)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—^(EE)so that they might accuse him. ¹¹ He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^(EF)if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ^12 (EG)Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^(EH)it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ^(EI)the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God's Chosen Servant

¹⁵ Jesus, aware of this, ^(EJ)withdrew from there. And ^(EK)many followed him, and he healed them all ¹⁶ and ^(EL)ordered them not to make him known. ^17 (EM)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

^22 (ER)Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. ^23 (ES)And all the people were amazed, and said, ^(ET)“Can this be the Son of David?” ²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ^(EU)“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” ^25 (EV)Knowing their thoughts, ^(EW)he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶ And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ^(EX)by whom do ^(EY)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if it is ^(EZ)by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then ^(FA)the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ Or ^(FB)how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed ^(FC)he may plunder his house. ^30 (FD)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ^31 (FE)Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but ^(FF)the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² And whoever speaks a word ^(FG)against the Son of Man ^(FH)will be forgiven, but ^(FI)whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in ^(FJ)this age or in the age to come.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

^33 (FK)“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, ^(FL)for the tree is known by its fruit. ^34 (FM)You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, ^(FN)when you are evil? ^(FO)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ^35 (FP)The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ³⁶ I tell you, ^(FQ)on the day of judgment ^(FR)people will give account for ^(FS)every careless word they speak, ³⁷ for ^(FT)by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, ^(FU)we wish to see a sign from you.” ³⁹ But he answered them, ^(FV)“An evil and ^(FW)adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For ^(FX)just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, ^(FY)so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ^41 (FZ)The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^(GA)condemn it, for ^(GB)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^(GC)something greater than Jonah is here. ^42 (GD)The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^(GE)something greater than Solomon is here.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

⁴³ “When ^(GF)the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ^(GG)waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and ^(GH)the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this ^(GI)evil generation.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

⁴⁶ While he was still speaking to the people, behold, ^(GJ)his mother and his ^(GK)brothers^[q] stood outside, asking to speak to him.^{[r] 48} But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For ^(GL)whoever ^(GM)does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house ^(GN)and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, ^(GO)so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And ^(GP)he told them many things in parables, saying: ^(GQ)“A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but ^(GR)when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, ^(GS)they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among ^(GT)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some ^(GU)a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ^9 (GV)He who has ears,^[s] let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, ^(GW)“To you it has been given to know ^(GX)the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ^12 (GY)For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, ^(GZ)even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because ^(HA)seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, ^(HB)nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

¹⁶ But ^(HH)blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ^17 (HI)For truly, I say to you, ^(HJ)many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

^18 (HK)“Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of ^(HL)the kingdom and ^(HM)does not understand it, ^(HN)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately ^(HO)receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but ^(HP)endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately ^(HQ)he falls away.^{[t] 22} As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but ^(HR)the cares of ^(HS)the world and ^(HT)the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and ^(HU)understands it. He indeed ^(HV)bears fruit and yields, in one case ^(HW)a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ He put another parable before them, saying, ^(HX)“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵ but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds^[u] among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants^[v] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he said, ^(HY)‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ^(HZ)“Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

³¹ He put another parable before them, saying, ^(IA)“The kingdom of heaven is like ^(IB)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ He told them another parable. ^(IC)“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^(ID)three measures of flour, till it was ^(IE)all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

^34 (IF)All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:^[w]

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into ^(IJ)the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ^(IK)“Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed is ^(IL)the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are ^(IM)the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. ^(IN)The harvest is ^(IO)the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds ^(IP)are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at ^(IQ)the end of the age. ^41 (IR)The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all ^(IS)causes of sin and ^(IT)all law-breakers, ^42 (IU)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^(IV)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then ^(IW)the righteous will shine like the sun ^(IX)in the kingdom of their Father. ^(IY)He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven ^(IZ)is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy ^(JA)he goes and sells all that he has and ^(JB)buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding ^(JC)one pearl of great value, ^(JD)went and sold all that he had and ^(JE)bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is ^(JF)like a net that was thrown into the sea and ^(JG)gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, ^(JH)men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at ^(JI)the end of the age. The angels will come out and ^(JJ)separate the evil from the righteous ^50 (JK)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^(JL)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

^51 (JM)“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” ⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every ^(JN)scribe ^(JO)who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who ^(JP)brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

⁵³ And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, ^54 (JQ)and coming to ^(JR)his hometown ^(JS)he taught them in their synagogue, so that ^(JT)they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ^55 (JU)Is not this ^(JV)the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not ^(JW)his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And ^(JX)they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ^(JY)“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” ⁵⁸ And he did not do many mighty works there, ^(JZ)because of their unbelief.

The Death of John the Baptist

14 ^(KA)At that time ^(KB)Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, ² and he said to his servants, ^(KC)“This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ³ For ^(KD)Herod had seized John and bound him and ^(KE)put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,^{[x] 4} because John had been saying to him, ^(KF)“It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ And though he wanted to put him to death, ^(KG)he feared the people, because they held him to be ^(KH)a prophet. ⁶ But when Herod's ^(KI)birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, ⁷ so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” ⁹ And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. ¹⁰ He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, ¹¹ and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ¹² And ^(KJ)his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, ^(KK)he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore he ^(KL)saw a great crowd, and ^(KM)he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; ^(KN)send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said, “They need not go away; ^(KO)you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, ^(KP)he looked up to heaven and ^(KQ)said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

^22 (KR)Immediately he ^(KS)made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, ^(KT)he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When ^(KU)evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but the boat by this time was a long way^[y] from the land,^[z] beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ And ^(KV)in the fourth watch of the night^[aa] he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, ^(KW)they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ^(KX)“Take heart; it is I. ^(KY)Do not be afraid.”

²⁸ And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and ^(KZ)walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind,^[ab] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ^(LA)“Lord, save me.” ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ^(LB)“O you of little faith, why did you ^(LC)doubt?” ³² And when they got into the boat, ^(LD)the wind ceased. ³³ And ^(LE)those in the boat ^(LF)worshiped him, saying, ^(LG)“Truly you are ^(LH)the Son of God.”

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

^34 (LI)And when they had crossed over, they came to land at ^(LJ)Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and ^(LK)brought to him all who were sick ³⁶ and implored him that they might only touch ^(LL)the fringe of his garment. And ^(LM)as many as touched it were made well.

Traditions and Commandments

15 ^(LN)Then Pharisees and ^(LO)scribes came to Jesus ^(LP)from Jerusalem and said, ^2 (LQ)“Why do your disciples break ^(LR)the tradition of the elders? ^(LS)For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” ³ He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, ^(LT)‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^(LU)‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”^{[ac] 6} he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have ^(LV)made void the word^[ad] of God. ^7 (LW)You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

What Defiles a Person

¹⁰ And he called the people to him and said to them, ^(LZ)“Hear and understand: ^11 (MA)it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” ¹² Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were ^(MB)offended when they heard this saying?” ¹³ He answered, ^(MC)“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted ^(MD)will be rooted up. ¹⁴ Let them alone; ^(ME)they are blind guides.^[ae] And ^(MF)if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ But Peter said to him, ^(MG)“Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ And he said, ^(MH)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that ^(MI)whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?^{[af] 18} But ^(MJ)what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come ^(MK)evil thoughts, ^(ML)murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, ^(MM)slander. ^20 (MN)These are what defile a person. But ^(MO)to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

^21 (MP)And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, ^(MQ)a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ^(MR)“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” ²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ^(MS)“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, ^(MT)“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and ^(MU)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and ^(MV)throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat ^(MW)the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, ^(MX)great is your faith! ^(MY)Be it done for you as you desire.” ^(MZ)And her daughter was ^(NA)healed instantly.^[ag]

Jesus Heals Many

^29 (NB)Jesus went on from there and walked ^(NC)beside the Sea of Galilee. And he ^(ND)went up on the mountain and sat down there. ³⁰ And great crowds came to him, bringing with them ^(NE)the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, ^31 (NF)so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, ^(NG)the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And ^(NH)they glorified ^(NI)the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

^32 (NJ)Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ^(NK)“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.”