Matthew 15

Matthew 15:1  
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,

Matthew 15:2  
“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.”

Matthew 15:3  
He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

Matthew 15:4  
For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’

Matthew 15:5  
But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,”

Matthew 15:6  
he shall not honor his father or mother.’ You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition.

Matthew 15:7  
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

Matthew 15:8  
‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Matthew 15:9  
And they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’ ”

Matthew 15:10  
He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand.

Matthew 15:11  
That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

Matthew 15:12  
Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

Matthew 15:13  
But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.

Matthew 15:14  
Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 15:15  
Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.”

Matthew 15:16  
So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand?

Matthew 15:17  
Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly and then out of the body?

Matthew 15:18  
But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.

Matthew 15:19  
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.

Matthew 15:20  
These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”

Matthew 15:21  
Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.

Matthew 15:22  
Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”

Matthew 15:23  
But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”

Matthew 15:24  
But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Matthew 15:25  
But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

Matthew 15:26  
But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Matthew 15:27  
But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Matthew 15:28  
Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Matthew 15:29  
Jesus departed from there and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up on the mountain and sat there.

Matthew 15:30  
Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them,

Matthew 15:31  
so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.

Matthew 15:32  
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have continued with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way.”

Matthew 15:33  
The disciples said to him, “Where could we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?”

Matthew 15:34  
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

Matthew 15:35  
He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

Matthew 15:36  
and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.

Matthew 15:37  
They all ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.

Matthew 15:38  
Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children.

Matthew 15:39  
Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.


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