1 WA itlammū lēhu ash-shiyūkh wa-l-Farī-sīyīn el wiṣlū min al-Qudus. 2 Wa lamman s̠h̠āfū ḥērānu qā‘idīn yakalū qubāl ma g̠h̠asalū idēnhum, lawamūhum. 3 Fi s̠h̠ān al-Farīsīyīn wa kull el Yaḥud mā yākulū bilā yeg̠h̠silū idēnhum semiḥ mitil sibirhum. 4 Wa lamman yerga‘ū min as-sūq kān mā yitbarridū mā yākulū, wa ‘inḍahum ‘adāt kutār mitil g̠h̠asīl al-mawā‘īn wa nuḍāfat al-‘anāqrīb. 5 Wa al-Farīsīyīn wa-s̠h̠-s̠h̠iyūḵh̠ sa-alūhu wa qālū lēh, Lē s̠h̠inū ḥērānak mā biyeslukū mitil kull an-nās wa mā yesawwū ḥasab ‘awāidna wa yākulū g̠h̠ēr yeg̠h̠silū idēnhum? 6 Wa huwa qāl lēhum, An-nebi Is̠h̠‘aya itnabba ‘alēkum
An-nās dōlak yekrumūni bi khushūmhum
Wa lākin qulūbahum ba‘dīn minni.
7 Wa ye‘abidūni bilā fayida
Wa yu‘allimū ta‘līm an-nās.
8 Fi s̠h̠ān intu tekhallū waṣiyat Allah wa tesaw-wū ‘awāid an-nās mitil gh̠asīl al-māwā‘īn wa ta‘milū ḥagāt kutār mitil dēl kaman. 9 Wa qāl lēhum, Intu tetrukū waṣiyat Allah li tesaw-wū asbarkum. 10 An-nebi Mūsa qāl, Akrim abūk wa ummak, wa el yes̠h̠tim abūhu au ummu yistaḥil al-mōt. 11 Wa lākin intu tiftakirū kān zōl yeqūl li abūhu au ummu, Sawwēt karāma, 12 Mā fi luzūm lēh yaddī qurūs̠h̠ li abūhu au ummu. 13 Fi s̠h̠ān kadi baṭṭaltū kalām Allaḥ bi asbarkum, wa ta‘milū ‘awāid kutār mitil kadi. 14 Ba‘den nādā lēhu kull an-nās wa qāl, Eṣṣanatū kullukum, wa ifhamū. 15 Mā fi s̠h̠ī min barra in daḵh̠al fi zōl yenaggisu, lākin ash̠-s̠h̠ī el yemrug min az-zōl da yenaggisu. 16 El ‘indu aḍān li-s-simi‘ yesma‘. 17 Wa lamman Yasū‘ daḵh̠al fi baṭn al-bēt wa ḵh̠alla an-nās barra, ḥērānu ṭalabū minnu yefassir lēhum al-masal. 18 Wa qāl lēhum, Intu kamān mā fāhimīn, mā tefhamū el yedkhul min barra mā yeqdar yenaggis? 19 Fi s̠h̠ān mā yedḵh̠ul fi qalbu lākin fi baṭnu sākit wa yemruq minnu. 20 Es̠h̠-s̠h̠ī el yemruq min qalib az-zōl, da yenaggisu. 21 Fi s̠h̠ān min quwa al-qalib temruq al afkār al wasḵh̠āna ya‘ni zina, fisq, kataḥ 22 Sirqa, tama‘, ḵh̠ubth, g̠h̠is̠h̠s̠h̠, ‘ahara, ‘ayn s̠h̠irrīra, kufur, kibriyya, safāha; 23 Kull ash-s̠h̠irr da yemruq min az-zōl wa yenaggisu.
24 Ba‘dēn qām min henāk wa rauwaḥ qarīb ‘ala baladēn ismahum Sowr wa Saida, wa daḵh̠al fi-l-bēt bi sirr wa lākin mā yinduss. 25 Wa waḥda mara ‘indaha bitt magnūna simi‘at ‘annu wa gāt wa saggadat lēh. 26 Wa hiya kānat mara kāfira min al-Yuḥūd ginisa Fīnīqīya, wa hīya ṭalabat minnu yemarraq as̠h̠-s̠h̠ēṭān min bittaha. 27 Wa lākin Yasū‘ qāl lēha, Ḵh̠alli awlād al-bēt yitkaffū fi-l-awwaḥ fi s̠h̠ān mu semiḥ negda‘ kisratthum li-l-kilāb. 28 Wa qālat, Saḥiḥ, ya sīdi, lākin al-kilāb biyākulū min al-fatafīt el teqa‘ min kisrat al-awlād. 29 Wa qāl lēha, Fi s̠h̠ān khātir kalā-mik da, s̠h̠īli bētik, as̠h̠-s̠h̠ēṭān maraq min bittik. 30 Wa rauwaḥat li bētaha wa liqat bittaha rāqda fōq al-‘anqarēb, wa ‘aqilha raga‘ lēha.
31 Wa Yasū‘ maraq min Ṣowr wa gā bi derib Ṣaida li balad al-Galīl. 32 Wa gābū lēhu rāgil aṭrah̠h̠ wa abkam, wa ṭalabū minnu yelmasu. 33 Wa kaskasu min az-zaḥma wa daḵh̠al aṣābi‘u fi iḍnēnu wa bazaq wa balla lisānu. 34 Wa Yasū‘ ‘āyan li-s-samā wa itnahhad wa qāḥ Infatiḥ. 35 Wa ḥalan iḍnēnu infataḥat wa rubāṭ lisānu inḥalla wa biqa yitkallam tamām. 36 Wa Yasū‘ waṣāhum mā yeḥaddisū zōl wa lākin qadir ma waṣāhum, hum s̠h̠atatū al-ḵh̠abar. 37 Wa it‘aggabū ketīr wa qālū s̠h̠ug̠h̠lu kullu semiḥ, aṭ-ṭurus̠h̠ yesma‘ū wa-l-bukum yitkallimū.
The Teaching of the Ancestors
(Matthew 15.1-9)1 Some Pharisees and several teachers of the Law of Moses from Jerusalem came and gathered around Jesus. 2 They noticed that some of his disciples ate without first washing their hands.
3 The Pharisees and many others obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way before eating. 4 None of them will eat anything they buy in the market until it is washed. They also follow a lot of other teachings, such as washing cups, pitchers, and bowls.
5 The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, “Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?”
6 Jesus replied:
You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said,
“All of you praise me
with your words,
but you never really
think about me.
7 It is useless for you
to worship me,
when you teach rules
made up by humans.”
8 You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. 9 You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings! 10 Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? 11 But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God. 12 You won't let those people help their parents. 13 And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things just as bad.
What Really Makes People Unclean
(Matthew 15.10-20)14 Jesus called the crowd together again and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. 15-16 The food that you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”
17 After Jesus and his disciples had left the crowd and gone into the house, they asked him what these sayings meant. 18 He answered, “Don't you know what I am talking about by now? You surely know that the food you put into your mouth cannot make you unclean. 19 It doesn't go into your heart, but into your stomach, and then out of your body.” By saying this, Jesus meant that all foods were fit to eat.
20 Then Jesus said:
What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. 21 Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, 22 unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. 23 All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God.
A Woman's Faith
(Matthew 15.21-28)24 Jesus left and went to the region near the town of Tyre, where he stayed in someone's home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And at once she came and knelt down at his feet. 26 The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said, “The children must first be fed! It isn't right to take away their food and feed it to dogs.”
28 The woman replied, “Lord, even puppies eat the crumbs that children drop from the table.”
29 Jesus answered, “That's true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When the woman got back home, she found her child lying on the bed. The demon had gone.
Jesus Heals a Man Who Was Deaf and Could Hardly Talk
31 Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis. 32 Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.
33 After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue. 34 Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, “Effatha!” which means “Open up!” 35 At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly.
36 Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it. 37 They were completely amazed and said, “Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk.”