Matthew 15 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Defilement Comes from Within

God’s Commandments and Men’s Traditions

(Mark 7:1–23 )

Mat 15:1Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,

Mat 15:2“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

Mat 15:3

Mat 15:3He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

Mat 15:4

Mat 15:4“For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’;[fn] and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’[fn]

Mat 15:5

Mat 15:5“But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—

Mat 15:6

Mat 15:6‘then he need not honor his father or mother.’[fn] Thus you have made the commandment[fn] of God of no effect by your tradition.

Mat 15:7

Mat 15:7“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

Mat 15:8

Mat 15:8‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And[fn] honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.

Mat 15:9

Mat 15:9And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”[fn]

Mat 15:10

Mat 15:10When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand:

Mat 15:11

Mat 15:11“Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Mat 15:12

Mat 15:12Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

Mat 15:13

Mat 15:13But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.

Mat 15:14

Mat 15:14“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

Mat 15:15

Mat 15:15Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

Mat 15:16

Mat 15:16So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding?

Mat 15:17

Mat 15:17“Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?

Mat 15:18

Mat 15:18“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

Mat 15:19

Mat 15:19“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Mat 15:20

Mat 15:20“These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

A Gentile Shows Her Faith

(Mark 7:24–30 )

Mat 15:21

Mat 15:21Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

Mat 15:22

Mat 15:22And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

Mat 15:23

Mat 15:23But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

Mat 15:24

Mat 15:24But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Mat 15:25

Mat 15:25Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

Mat 15:26

Mat 15:26But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

Mat 15:27

Mat 15:27And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Mat 15:28

Mat 15:28Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus Heals Great Multitudes

(Mark 7:31–37 )

Mat 15:29

Mat 15:29Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.

Mat 15:30

Mat 15:30Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.

Mat 15:31

Mat 15:31So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Feeding the Four Thousand

(Mark 8:1–10 )

Mat 15:32

Mat 15:32Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

Mat 15:33

Mat 15:33Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”

Mat 15:34

Mat 15:34Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

Mat 15:35

Mat 15:35So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

Mat 15:36

Mat 15:36And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.

Mat 15:37

Mat 15:37So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.

Mat 15:38

Mat 15:38Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Mat 15:39

Mat 15:39And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.[fn]

See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NKJV Footnotes

(15:4)

Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16

(15:4)

Exodus 21:17

(15:6)

NU-Text omits or mother.

(15:6)

NU-Text reads word.

(15:8)

NU-Text omits draw near to Me with their mouth, And.

(15:9)

Isaiah 29:13

(15:39)

NU-Text reads Magadan.

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For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.

Matthew Chapter 15 — Additional Translations:

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Matthew 15 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

NKJV Footnotes

Matthew Chapter 15 — Additional Translations:

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