Matthew 15

Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for placing their traditions above the commandments of God and teaches that what defiles a man comes from the heart, not from unwashed hands. He heals the daughter of a Canaanite woman and feeds four thousand men with seven loaves and a few fish.

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,	Then some scribes and Pharisees came from Jerusalem to Jesus and said,
2	Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.	"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat."
3	But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?	He answered, "Why do You also break the commandment of God for the sake of Your tradition?
4	For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.	God commanded, 'Honor Your father and Your mother,' and 'Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
5	But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;	But You say that if anyone tells his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might have received from me is a gift devoted to God,'
6	And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.	he need not honor His father or mother. You have nullified the word of God for the sake of Your tradition.
7	Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,	You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well about you when he said,
8	This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.	'This people honors 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.	Their worship of Me is empty, for they teach human rules as though they were God's commands.'"
10	And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:	He called the crowd to Him and said, "Listen 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.	It is not what goes into the mouth that makes a person unclean. It is what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean."
12	Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?	Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"
13	But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.	He answered, "Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
14	Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.	Leave them alone. They are blind guides leading the blind. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."
15	Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.	Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us."
16	And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?	Jesus said, "Are You still so slow to understand?
17	Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?	Don't You see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?
18	But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.	But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and those things make a person unclean.
19	For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:	From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
20	These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.	These are what make a person unclean. But eating with unwashed hands does not make a person unclean."
21	Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.	Jesus left from there and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22	And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.	A Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is badly tormented by a demon."
23	But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.	He did not answer her a word. His disciples came and urged Him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
24	But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.	He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
25	Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.	But she came and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"
26	But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.	He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
27	And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.	She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that 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.	Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, Your faith is great! Let it be done for You as You wish." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
29	And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.	Jesus left that place and went along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a hillside and sat down.
30	And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:	Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the mute, the crippled, and many others, and laid them at His feet. He healed them.
31	Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.	The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. They praised 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 nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.	Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "I feel compassion for this crowd. They have been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
33	And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?	His disciples said to Him, "Where would we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a large crowd?"
34	And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.	Jesus asked them, "How many loaves do You have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."
35	And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.	He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.
36	And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.	Then He took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the disciples. The disciples gave them to the crowd.
37	And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.	They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
38	And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.	The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.
39	And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.	After sending the crowd away, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magdala.