Matthew 15

All 39 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

Read Matthew 15 in the Bible reader, with audio →

1. 1Then scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said,
2. 2"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?" they asked. "They don't even wash their hands before they eat."
3. 3But he answered them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?"
4. 4God commanded, 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who curses their father or mother must be put to death.'
5. 5But you say, “Whoever tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever you might have gained from me is a gift,’”
6. 6then he is free from honoring his father or mother. This is how you have made the commandment of God ineffective through your tradition.
7. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah rightly prophesied about you, saying,
8. 8These people come near to me with their words and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
9. 9“But they worship me for nothing, teaching human commandments as doctrines.”
10. 10Then Jesus called the crowd over and said, "Listen carefully and understand this:
11. 11It's not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean. It's what comes out of your mouth — that's what makes you unclean."
12. 12His disciples came to him and said, "Do you realize the Pharisees were offended when they heard that?"
13. 13Jesus replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father didn't plant will be pulled up by the roots.
14. 14Ignore them. They're blind guides leading blind people. And when the blind lead the blind, both end up falling into a pit."
15. 15Peter spoke up and said, "Explain this parable to us."
16. 16Jesus said, "Are you still not getting it?
17. 17Don't you understand that whatever goes into your mouth passes through your stomach and leaves your body?
18. 18But the things that come out of your mouth come from the heart — and those are what make a person unclean.
19. 19Because out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies.
20. 20These are the things that make a person unclean. Eating with unwashed hands doesn't make anyone unclean."
21. 21Jesus left that area and traveled to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22. 22A Canaanite woman from that region came to him, crying out, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon!"
23. 23But Jesus didn't say a word to her. His disciples came and urged him, "Send her away — she keeps shouting after us."
24. 24Jesus answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
25. 25But the woman came and worshipped him, saying, "Lord, help me."
26. 26He replied, "It isn't right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."
27. 27"That's true, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
28. 28Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith. May it be done for you as you desire.” Her daughter was healed from that very hour.
29. 29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. He climbed a hillside and sat down.
30. 30Huge crowds came to him, bringing people who were lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others. They laid them at Jesus' feet, and he healed them.
31. 31The crowd was amazed as they watched mute people speaking, crippled people made whole, lame people walking, and blind people seeing. They glorified the God of Israel.
32. 32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they might faint on the way."
33. 33His disciples said, "Where could we possibly find enough bread out here in this remote place to feed such a huge crowd?"
34. 34Jesus asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They answered, "7, and a few small fish."
35. 35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.
36. 36Then he took the 7 loaves and the fish, gave thanks to God, broke them into pieces, and handed them to his disciples, who distributed them to the crowd.
37. 37Everyone ate until they were full, and when they collected the leftovers, they filled 7 baskets.
38. 38The number of men who ate was 4,000 — not counting the women and children.
39. 39After sending the crowds on their way, Jesus got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magdala.