Defilement Comes from Within^(A)

15 Then ^(B)the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ^2 (C)“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

³ He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded, saying, ^(D)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^(E)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, ^(F)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— ⁶ then he need not honor his father ^[a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the ^[b]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. ^7 (G)Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

^10 (J)When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: ^11 (K)Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

¹² Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

¹³ But He answered and said, ^(L)“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone. ^(M)They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

^15 (N)Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

¹⁶ So Jesus said, ^(O)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that ^(P)whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But ^(Q)those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ^19 (R)For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

A Gentile Shows Her Faith^(S)

^21 (T)Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, ^(U)Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

²³ But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

²⁴ But He answered and said, ^(V)“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little ^(W)dogs.”

²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, ^(X)great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus Heals Great Multitudes^(Y)

^29 (Z)Jesus departed from there, ^(AA)skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. ^30 (AB)Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, ^[d]maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ ^(AC)feet, and He healed them. ³¹ So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the ^[e]maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they ^(AD)glorified the God of Israel.

Feeding the Four Thousand^(AE)

^32 (AF)Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

^33 (AG)Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

³⁵ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ And ^(AH)He took the seven loaves and the fish and ^(AI)gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. ³⁷ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. ³⁸ Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ^39 (AJ)And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of ^[f]Magdala.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

3 In those days ^(B)John the Baptist came preaching ^(C)in the wilderness of Judea, ² and saying, “Repent, for ^(D)the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” ³ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

⁴ Now ^(G)John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was ^(H)locusts and ^(I)wild honey. ^5 (J)Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him ^6 (K)and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ^(L)“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from ^(M)the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ^(N)‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. ^(O)Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ^11 (P)I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. ^(Q)He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit ^[a]and fire. ^12 (R)His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will ^(S)burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John Baptizes Jesus^(T)

^13 (U)Then Jesus came ^(V)from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

^16 (W)When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and ^[b]He saw ^(X)the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. ^17 (Y)And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ^(Z)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus^(AA)

4 Then ^(AB)Jesus was led up by ^(AC)the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ^(AD)‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

⁵ Then the devil took Him up ^(AE)into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

and,

⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ^(AH)‘You shall not ^[c]tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and ^(AI)showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, ^[d]“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ^(AJ)‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

¹¹ Then the devil ^(AK)left Him, and behold, ^(AL)angels came and ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(AM)

^12 (AN)Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

^17 (AQ)From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ^(AR)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven ^[e]is at hand.”

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(AS)

^18 (AT)And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon ^(AU)called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and ^(AV)I will make you fishers of men.” ^20 (AW)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

^21 (AX)Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Jesus Heals a Great Multitude^(AY)

²³ And Jesus went about all Galilee, ^(AZ)teaching in their synagogues, preaching ^(BA)the gospel of the kingdom, ^(BB)and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. ²⁴ Then ^[f]His fame went throughout all Syria; and they ^(BC)brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. ^25 (BD)Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from ^[g]Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

The Beatitudes^(BE)

5 And seeing the multitudes, ^(BF)He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ² Then He opened His mouth and ^(BG)taught them, saying:

^11 (BR)Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of ^(BS)evil against you falsely for My sake. ^12 (BT)Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for ^(BU)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Believers Are Salt and Light^(BV)

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; ^(BW)but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

^14 (BX)“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they ^(BY)light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, ^(BZ)that they may see your good works and ^(CA)glorify your Father in heaven.

Christ Fulfills the Law

^17 (CB)“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, ^(CC)till heaven and earth pass away, one ^[i]jot or one ^[j]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ^19 (CD)Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds ^(CE)the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder Begins in the Heart^(CF)

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those ^[k]of old, ^(CG)‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that ^(CH)whoever is angry with his brother ^[l]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ^(CI)‘Raca!’^[m] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ^[n]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of ^[o]hell fire. ²³ Therefore ^(CJ)if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ^24 (CK)leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ^25 (CL)Agree with your adversary quickly, ^(CM)while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Adultery in the Heart

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said ^[p]to those of old, ^(CN)‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that whoever ^(CO)looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ^29 (CP)If your right eye causes you to ^[q]sin, ^(CQ)pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to ^[r]sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Marriage Is Sacred and Binding^(CR)

³¹ “Furthermore it has been said, ^(CS)‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that ^(CT)whoever divorces his wife for any reason except ^[s]sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Jesus Forbids Oaths

³³ “Again you have heard that ^(CU)it was said to those of ^[t]old, ^(CV)‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^(CW)shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, ^(CX)do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is ^(CY)God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of ^(CZ)the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ^37 (DA)But let ^[u]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Go the Second Mile^(DB)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ^(DC)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ^39 (DD)But I tell you not to resist an evil person. ^(DE)But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹ And whoever ^(DF)compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks you, and ^(DG)from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies^(DH)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ^(DI)‘You shall love your neighbor ^(DJ)and hate your enemy.’ ^44 [v]But I say to you, ^(DK)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^(DL)do good to those who hate you, and pray ^(DM)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^(DN)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (DO)For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your ^[w]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the ^[x]tax collectors do so? ^48 (DP)Therefore you shall be perfect, just ^(DQ)as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Do Good to Please God

6 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, ^(DR)when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret ^(DS)will Himself reward you ^[y]openly.

The Model Prayer^(DT)

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the ^[z]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, ^(DU)go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[aa]openly. ⁷ And when you pray, ^(DV)do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. ^(DW)For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father ^(DX)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this ^(DY)manner, therefore, pray:

^14 (EH)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But ^(EI)if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting to Be Seen Only by God

¹⁶ “Moreover, ^(EJ)when you fast, do not be like the ^[ac]hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, ^(EK)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[ad]openly.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven^(EL)

^19 (EM)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ^20 (EN)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body^(EO)

^22 (EP)“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is ^[ae]good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is ^[af]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches

^24 (EQ)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. ^(ER)You cannot serve God and ^[ag]mammon.

Do Not Worry^(ES)

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, ^(ET)do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ^26 (EU)Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one ^[ah]cubit to his ^[ai]stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not ^[aj]arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But ^(EV)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.