Traditions and Commandments

7 ^yNow when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were ^zdefiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,¹ holding to the ^atradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.² And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the ^bwashing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.³) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, ^c“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ^f‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^g‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)⁴— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

What Defiles a Person

14 ^hAnd he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 ⁱThere is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, ^jbut the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”⁵ 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, ^k“Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”⁶ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 ^lFor from within, out of the ^mheart of man, come evil thoughts, ⁿsexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

24 ^oAnd ^pfrom there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.⁷ And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed ^qfirst, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and ^rthrow it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s ^scrumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And ^ttaking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after ^uspitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he ^vsighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his ^wtongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus^{8 x}charged them to tell no one. ^yBut the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished ^zbeyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the ^adeaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

8 ^bIn those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have ^ccompassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ^date and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.¹

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

11 ^eThe Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ^f“Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to ^gthis generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

14 ^hNow they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; ⁱbeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”² 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? ^jDo you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts ^khardened? 18 ^lHaving eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, ^mhow many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, ⁿhow many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a ^oblind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had ^pspit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus³ laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, ^q“Do not even enter the village.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

27 ^rAnd Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, ^s“John the Baptist; and others say, ^tElijah; and others, one of the ^uprophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, ^v“You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 ^wAnd he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be ^xrejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after ^ythree days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ^z“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34 ^aAnd calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and ^btake up his cross and ^cfollow me. 35 ^dFor whoever would save his life⁴ will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the ^egospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to ^fgain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ^gashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he ^hcomes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are ⁱsome standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

The Transfiguration

2 ^jAnd after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And ^khe was ^ltransfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became ^mradiant, intensely white, as no one¹ on earth could bleach them. 4 ⁿAnd there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, ^o“Rabbi,² it is good that we are here. Let us make three ^ptents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a ^qcloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ^r“This is my beloved Son;^{3 s}listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 ^tAnd as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to ^utell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning ^vwhat this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that ^wfirst Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it ^xwritten of the Son of Man ^ythat he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him ^zwhatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 ^aAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him ^bmute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your ^cdisciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it ^dconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, ^e“‘If you can’! ^fAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out⁴ and said, “I believe; ^ghelp my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he ^hrebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I ⁱcommand you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him ^jprivately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but ^kprayer.”⁵

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

30 ^lThey went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after ^mthree days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

33 ⁿAnd they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ^o“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 ^p“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

38 ^qJohn said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,⁶ and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 ^rFor the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, ^swhoever gives you a cup of water to drink because⁷ you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

42 ^t“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,^{8 u}it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 ^vAnd if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell,⁹ to the unquenchable fire.¹⁰ 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to ^wenter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ^x‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 ^yFor everyone will be salted with fire.¹¹ 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? ^zHave salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Teaching About Divorce

10 ^aAnd he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

2 And Pharisees came up and ^bin order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to ^cdivorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, ^d“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^ehardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ^f‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ^g‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,¹ 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, ^h“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

13 ⁱAnd they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples ^jrebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ^k“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not ^lenter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

17 ^mAnd as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, ⁿwhat must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ^o‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, ^psell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, ^qfollow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have ^rwealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ^s“Children, how difficult it is² to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a ^trich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were ^uexceedingly astonished, and said to him,³ “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For ^vall things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, ^wwe have ^xleft everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or ^ybrothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 ^zBut many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

32 ^aAnd they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after ^bthree days he will rise.”