¹ THEN came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, saying,

² Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread?

³ And he answering said to them, And why do you transgress the command of God, by your tradition?

⁴ For God commanded, saying “Honour thy father and thy mother:” and, He that curseth father or mother, let him surely die.

⁵ But ye say, If any man declare to his father or mother, This is a devoted gift, which else might have been employed by me for thy advantage;

⁶ then he shall not with it honour his father and mother: so have ye vacated the command of God by your tradition.

⁷ Ye hypocrites, well hath Isaiah prophesied concerning you, saying,

⁸ This people draweth nigh to me with their mouths, and honoureth me with the lips, but their heart is far distant from me.

⁹ But in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines the commandments of men.

¹⁰ And he called to him the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

¹¹ not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but what cometh out of the mouth, that defileth the man.

¹² Then his disciples approaching, said to him, Knowest thou how offended the Pharisees were at hearing that speech?

¹³ Then he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.

¹⁴ Leave them to themselves: they are blind leaders of the blind. But if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into the pit.

¹⁵ Then Peter answering said unto him, Explain to us this parable.

¹⁶ And Jesus said, Are ye also to this time destitute of intelligence?

¹⁷ Do ye not observe, that every thing which entereth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is ejected into the vault?

¹⁸ But the things which go forth out of the mouth, come out of the heart, and they are the things which defile a man:

¹⁹ for out of the heart proceed wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, whoredoms, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies:

²⁰ these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man.

²¹ And going forth thence, Jesus retired into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

²² And lo! a woman of Canaan coming out of these coasts, cried aloud, saying to him, Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David: my daughter is a grievous demoniac.

²³ But he replied not a word to her. Then his disciples came and intreated him, saying, Send her away; for she is crying aloud after us.

²⁴ But he said in reply, I am not sent, save only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

²⁵ Then she came, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me!

²⁶ But he answering said, It is not proper to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.

²⁷ And she said, True, Lord: yet even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.

²⁸ Then Jesus answering said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith! be it unto thee even as thou desirest. And her daughter was cured from that hour.

²⁹ And departing thence, Jesus went to the sea-side of Galilee; and ascending a mountain, he sat down there.

³⁰ And great multitudes came to him, bringing with them the lame, blind, dumb, cripples, and many others, and cast them down at the feet of Jesus; and he cured them all:

³¹ insomuch that the multitude marvelled when they saw the dumb speaking, the cripples sound, the lame walking, and the blind restored to sight: and they glorified the God of Israel.

³² Then Jesus calling his disciples, said, I have compassion on the multitude, for they have now continued with me three days, and have not any thing to eat: and send them away fasting I will not, lest they faint on the road.

³³ And his disciples said unto him, Whence can we in the wilderness have loaves enough to satisfy the cravings of so great a multitude?

³⁴ And Jesus said unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few small fishes.

³⁵ And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

³⁶ And taking the seven loaves and the fishes, he gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

³⁷ And they did all eat, and were filled: and took up a superabundance of fragments seven baskets full.

³⁸ And they that had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

³⁹ And dismissing the multitudes he went on board a vessel, and came into the coasts of Magdala.