Font Size
Matthew 15-17
21st Century King James Version
Matthew 15-17
21st Century King James Version
15 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, who were from Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.”
3 But He answered and said unto them, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor thy father and mother,’ and, ‘He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.’
5 But ye say that whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, ‘by whatsoever thou might have profited by me, it is a gift,’
6 and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
8 ‘This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
9 But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’”
10 And He called the multitude and said unto them, “Hear and understand:
11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
12 Then came His disciples and said unto Him, “Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.
14 Let them alone; they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
15 Then answered Peter and said unto Him, “Explain to us this parable.”
16 And Jesus said, “Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do ye not yet understand that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the drain?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man.
19 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 defileth not a man.”
21 Then Jesus went thence and departed into the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same region and cried unto Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David! My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”
23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, “Send her away, for she crieth after us.”
24 But He answered and said, “I am not sent but unto 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 meet to take children’s bread and cast it to dogs.”
27 And she said, “Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, “O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
29 And Jesus departed from thence and came nigh unto the Sea of Galilee, and went up onto a mountain and sat down there.
30 And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those who were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them,
31 insomuch that the multitude wondered when they saw the dumb to speak, and the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see. And they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called His disciples unto Him and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with Me now three days and have had nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint on the way.”
33 And His disciples said unto Him, “From whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness as to fill so great a multitude?”
34 And Jesus said unto them, “How many loaves have ye?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fishes.”
35 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36 And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and broke them and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
37 And they all ate and were filled. And they took up of the broken pieces that were left, seven baskets full.
38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And He sent away the multitude, and took the boat and went into the coasts of Magdala.
16 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and testing, desired Him that He would show them a sign from Heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, “When it is evening ye say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 And in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowering.’ O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
5 And when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”
8 But when Jesus perceived this, He said unto them, “O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, ‘because ye have brought no bread’?
9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spoke it not to you concerning bread, but that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees?”
12 Then understood they that He bade them not to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 And they said, “Some say that Thou art John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in Heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”
20 Then He charged His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Be it far from Thee, Lord; this shall not happen unto Thee.”
23 But He turned and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind Me, Satan! Thou art an offense unto Me; for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
24 Then Jesus said unto His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to his works.
28 Verily I say unto you, there are some standing here who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.”
17 And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up onto a high mountain apart.
2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light.
3 And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him.
4 Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles: one for Thee and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud, said, “This Is My Beloved Son In Whom I Am Well Pleased. Hear Ye Him!”
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and be not afraid.”
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, “Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.”
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?”
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things.
12 But I say unto you that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they pleased. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer by them.”
13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke unto them of John the Baptist.
14 And when they had come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him and saying,
15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sorely vexed; for ofttimes he falleth into the fire and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him.”
17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to Me.”
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, “Why could we not cast him out?”
20 And Jesus said unto them, “Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place,’ and it shall remove. And nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 However this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, “The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men.
23 And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again.” And they were exceeding sorry.
24 And when they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the tribute money came to Peter and said, “Doth not your master pay tribute?”
25 He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus preceded him, saying, “What thinkest thou, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? From their own children, or from strangers?”
26 Peter said unto Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said unto him, “Then are the children free.
27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up. And when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money. That take, and give unto them for Me and thee.”
Matthew 15-17
New International Version
Matthew 15-17
New International Version
That Which Defiles(A)
15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”(B)
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 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) 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 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.
The Demand for a Sign(AF)
16 The Pharisees and Sadducees(AG) came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.(AH)
2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.[e](AI) 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”(AJ) Jesus then left them and went away.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”(AK)
7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”
8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith,(AL) why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?(AM) 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?(AN) 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.(AO)
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah(AP)
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;(AQ) others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”(AR)
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”(AS)
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,(AT) but by my Father in heaven.(AU) 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[f](AV) and on this rock I will build my church,(AW) and the gates of Hades[g] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys(AX) of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[h] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[i] loosed in heaven.”(AY) 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone(AZ) that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Predicts His Death(BA)
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem(BB) and suffer many things(BC) at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,(BD) and that he must be killed(BE) and on the third day(BF) be raised to life.(BG)
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!(BH) You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.(BI) 25 For whoever wants to save their life[j] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.(BJ) 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man(BK) is going to come(BL) in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.(BM)
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
The Transfiguration(BN)(BO)
17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John(BP) the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.(BQ) Listen to him!”(BR)
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”(BS) 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone(BT) what you have seen, until the Son of Man(BU) has been raised from the dead.”(BV)
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.(BW) 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come,(BX) and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished.(BY) In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer(BZ) at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.(CA)
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy(CB)
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures(CC) and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith(CD) as small as a mustard seed,(CE) you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.(CF) Nothing will be impossible for you.” [21] [k]
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man(CG) is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him,(CH) and on the third day(CI) he will be raised to life.”(CJ) And the disciples were filled with grief.
The Temple Tax
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax(CK) came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
25 “Yes, he does,” he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes(CL)—from their own children or from others?”
26 “From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense,(CM) go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
- Matthew 15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
- Matthew 15:9 Isaiah 29:13
- Matthew 15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind
- Matthew 16:3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes … of the times.
- Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
- Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
- Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
- Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
- Matthew 16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26.
- Matthew 17:21 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 9:29.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.