Chapter 15

  Then Pharisees and scribes come to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,  

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  'Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat bread.'  

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  He answered them, 'Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?  

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  For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'  

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  But you say, 'Whoever will tell his father or his mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,'  

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  he will not honor his father or mother.' You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition.  

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  You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,  

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  'These people draw near to me with their mouth, And honor me with their lips; But their heart is far from me.  

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  But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as doctrine rules made by men.''  

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  He called the multitude to himself, and said to them, 'Hear, and understand.  

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  That which enters into the mouth doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.'  

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  Then the disciples came, and said to him, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?'  

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  But he answered, 'Every plant which my heavenly Father didn't plant will be uprooted.  

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  Let them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.'  

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  Peter answered him, 'Explain the parable to us.'  

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  So Jesus said, 'Do you also still not understand?  

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  Don't you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body?  

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  But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart, and they defile the man.  

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  For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.  

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  These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn't defile the man.'  

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  Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon.  

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  Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed with a demon.'  

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  But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, 'Send her away; for she cries after us.'  

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  But he answered, 'I wasn't sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'  

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  But she came and worshipped him, saying, 'Lord, help me.'  

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  But he answered, 'It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.'  

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  But she said, 'Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.'  

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  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.  

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  Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.  

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  There came to him great multitudes, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them,  

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  so that the multitude wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the injured whole, lame walking, and the blind seeing -- and they glorified the God of Israel.  

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  Jesus called his disciples to him, and said, 'I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue 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.'  

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  The disciples said to him, 'Where should we get so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude?'  

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  Jesus said to them, 'How many loaves do you have?' They said, 'Seven, and a few small fish.'  

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  He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;  

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  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.  

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  They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.  

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  Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  

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  He sent away the multitudes, and entered into the boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.  

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