Chapter 15

Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, who were of Jerusalem, saying,

Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

But he answered and said to them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

But ye say, Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatever thou mightest be profited by me;

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.

Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

This people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

And he called the multitude, and said to them, Hear, and understand:

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Then came his disciples, and said to him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?

But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be extirpated.

Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leadeth the blind, both will fall into the ditch.

Then answered Peter and said to him, Declare to us this parable.

And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

Do ye not yet understand, that whatever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

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

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the territories of Tyre and Sidon.

And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same territories, and cried to him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously afflicted with a demon.

But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

But he answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me.

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crums which fall from their master's table.

Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it to thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh to the sea of Galilee; and ascended a mountain, and sat down there.

And great multitudes came to 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:

So 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.

Then 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: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

And his disciples say to him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to satisfy so great a multitude?

And Jesus saith to them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

And he commanded the multitude to sit on the ground.

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.

And they all ate and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that were left seven baskets full.

And they that had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

And he sent away the multitude, and took a boat, and came into the borders of Magdala.