Matthew 15

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said,	1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
2 'Why do your disciples break away from the tradition of the elders? They eat without washing theirhands.'	2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash (their) hands when they eat a meal."
3 He answered, 'And why do you break away from the commandment of God for the sake of yourtradition?	3 He said to them in reply, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4 For God said, "Honour your father and your mother" and "Anyone who curses his father or mother wilbe put to death."	4 For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or mother shall die.'
5 But you say, "If anyone says to his father or mother: Anything I might have used to help you isdedicated to God,	5 But you say, 'Whoever says to father or mother, "Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God,"
6 he is rid of his duty to father or mother." In this way you have made God's word ineffective by means ofyour tradition.	6 need not honor his father.' You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7 Hypocrites! How rightly Isaiah prophesied about you when he said:	7 Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said:
8 This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.	8 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;
9 Their reverence of me is worthless; the lessons they teach are nothing but human commandments.'	9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.'"
10 He called the people to him and said, 'Listen, and understand.	10 He summoned the crowd and said to them, "Hear and understand.
11 What goes into the mouth does not make anyone unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth thatmakes someone unclean.'	11 It is not what enters one's mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one."
12 Then the disciples came to him and said, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were shocked when theyheard what you said?'	12 Then his disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?"
13 He replied, 'Any plant my heavenly Father has not planted wil be pul ed up by the roots.	13 He said in reply, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
14 Leave them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind; and if one blind person leads another, both wilfal into a pit.'	14 Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit."
15 At this, Peter said to him, 'Explain the parable for us.'	15 Then Peter said to him in reply, "Explain (this) parable to us."
16 Jesus replied, 'Even you -- don't you yet understand?	16 He said to them, "Are even you still without understanding?
17 Can't you see that whatever goes into the mouth passes through the stomach and is discharged intothe sewer?	17 Do you not realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine?
18 But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and it is this that makes someoneunclean.	18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile.
19 For from the heart come evil intentions: murder, adultery, fornication, theft, perjury, slander.	19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy.
20 These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating with unwashed hands does not makeanyone unclean.'	20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."
21 Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.	21 Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son ofDavid, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.'	22 And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon."
23 But he said not a word in answer to her. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Giveher what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.'	23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
24 He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.'	24 He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
25 But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. 'Lord,' she said, 'help me.'	25 But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
26 He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.'	26 He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."
27 She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fal from their masters' table.'	27 She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters."
28 Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from thatmoment her daughter was wel again.	28 Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.
29 Jesus went on from there and reached the shores of the Lake of Galilee, and he went up onto themountain. He took his seat,	29 Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
30 and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others;these they put down at his feet, and he cured them.	30 Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
31 The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walkingand the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.	31 The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 But Jesus cal ed his disciples to him and said, 'I feel sorry for al these people; they have been withme for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, or they might col apse onthe way.'	32 Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way."
33 The disciples said to him, 'Where in a deserted place could we get sufficient bread for such a largecrowd to have enough to eat?'	33 The disciples said to him, "Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?"
34 Jesus said to them, 'How many loaves have you?' They said, 'Seven, and a few smal fish.'	34 Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied, "and a few fish."
35 Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground,	35 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
36 and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and began handingthem to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds.	36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
37 They al ate as much as they wanted, and they col ected what was left of the scraps, seven basketsful .	37 They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over--seven baskets full.
38 Now four thousand men had eaten, to say nothing of women and children.	38 Those who ate were four thousand men, not counting women and children.
39 And when he had sent the crowds away he got into the boat and went to the territory of Magadan.	39 And when he had dismissed the crowds, he got into the boat and came to the district of Magadan.