TheLionWithin.Us: 3 Questions to Unlock Deeper Insights in God’s Word

The Benefit of Doubt: How Confronting Your Deepest Questions Can Lead to a Richer Faith

Freedom in Forgiveness: Discover the Healing in Letting Go by Sara Brunsvold

Lent: The Journey of Letting Go

The Armor of God: Well Used Against Injury

Spiritual Beings

Chosen and Complete: Embracing God's Plan Beyond Marriage

Allowing Our Children to Grow and Go: A 3-Day Parenting Plan

We're So Blessed: A Fun 5-Day Family Devotional From CAIN

Living for Christ at Home: An Encouragement for Teens

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch9" data-usfm="MAT.9">
 <div class="label">9</div><div class="s1">Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man</div><div class="p">1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, &#8220;Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.&#8221;</div><div class="p">3At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, &#8220;This fellow is blaspheming!&#8221;</div><div class="p">4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, &#8220;Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, &#8216;Your sins are forgiven,&#8217; or to say, &#8216;Get up and walk&#8217;? 6But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.&#8221; So he said to the paralyzed man, &#8220;Get up, take your mat and go home.&#8221; 7Then the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.</div><div class="s1">The Calling of Matthew</div><div class="p">9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector&#8217;s booth. &#8220;Follow me,&#8221; he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.</div><div class="p">10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew&#8217;s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, &#8220;Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?&#8221;</div><div class="p">12On hearing this, Jesus said, &#8220;It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: &#8216;I desire mercy, not sacrifice.&#8217;#9:13 Hosea 6:6 For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Questioned About Fasting</div><div class="p">14Then John&#8217;s disciples came and asked him, &#8220;How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?&#8221;</div><div class="p">15Jesus answered, &#8220;How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.</div><div class="p">16 &#8220;No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman</div><div class="p">18While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, &#8220;My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.&#8221; 19Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.</div><div class="p">20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, &#8220;If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.&#8221;</div><div class="p">22Jesus turned and saw her. &#8220;Take heart, daughter,&#8221; he said, &#8220;your faith has healed you.&#8221; And the woman was healed at that moment.</div><div class="p">23When Jesus entered the synagogue leader&#8217;s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24he said, &#8220;Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.&#8221; But they laughed at him. 25After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26News of this spread through all that region.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute</div><div class="p">27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, &#8220;Have mercy on us, Son of David!&#8221;</div><div class="p">28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, &#8220;Do you believe that I am able to do this?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Yes, Lord,&#8221; they replied.</div><div class="p">29Then he touched their eyes and said, &#8220;According to your faith let it be done to you&#8221;; 30and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, &#8220;See that no one knows about this.&#8221; 31But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.</div><div class="p">32While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, &#8220;Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p">34But the Pharisees said, &#8220;It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Workers Are Few</div><div class="p">35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, &#8220;The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="MAT.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="s1">Jesus Sends Out the Twelve</div><div class="p">1Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.</div><div class="p">2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.</div><div class="p">5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: &#8220;Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim this message: &#8216;The kingdom of heaven has come near.&#8217; 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,#10:8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.</div><div class="p">9 &#8220;Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts&#8212; 10no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.</div><div class="p">16 &#8220;I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.</div><div class="p">21 &#8220;Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.</div><div class="p">24 &#8220;The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!</div><div class="p">26 &#8220;So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father&#8217;s care.#10:29 Or will; or knowledge 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don&#8217;t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.</div><div class="p">32 &#8220;Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.</div><div class="p">34 &#8220;Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;a man against his father,</div><div class="q2">a daughter against her mother,</div><div class="q1">a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law&#8212;</div><div class="q2">36 a man&#8217;s enemies will be the members of his own household.&#8217; #10:36 Micah 7:6</div><div class="p">37 &#8220;Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.</div><div class="p">40 &#8220;Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet&#8217;s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person&#8217;s reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="MAT.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">Jesus and John the Baptist</div><div class="p">1After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.#11:1 Greek in their towns</div><div class="p">2When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3to ask him, &#8220;Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?&#8221;</div><div class="p">4Jesus replied, &#8220;Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy#11:5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">7As John&#8217;s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: &#8220;What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings&#8217; palaces. 9Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I will send my messenger ahead of you,</div><div class="q2">who will prepare your way before you.&#8217; #11:10 Mal. 3:1</div><div class="m">11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,#11:12 Or been forcefully advancing and violent people have been raiding it. 13For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15Whoever has ears, let them hear.</div><div class="p">16 &#8220;To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:</div><div class="q1">17 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;We played the pipe for you,</div><div class="q2">and you did not dance;</div><div class="q1">we sang a dirge,</div><div class="q2">and you did not mourn.&#8217;</div><div class="m">18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, &#8216;He has a demon.&#8217; 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, &#8216;Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.&#8217; But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Woe on Unrepentant Towns</div><div class="p">20Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21&#8220;Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.#11:23 That is, the realm of the dead For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Father Revealed in the Son</div><div class="p">25At that time Jesus said, &#8220;I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.</div><div class="p">27 &#8220;All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.</div><div class="p">28 &#8220;Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch12" data-usfm="MAT.12">
 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath</div><div class="p">1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, &#8220;Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p">3He answered, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread&#8212;which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven&#8217;t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7If you had known what these words mean, &#8216;I desire mercy, not sacrifice,&#8217;#12:7 Hosea 6:6 you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p">9Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, &#8220;Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?&#8221;</div><div class="p">11He said to them, &#8220;If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p">13Then he said to the man, &#8220;Stretch out your hand.&#8221; So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Chosen Servant</div><div class="p">15Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16He warned them not to tell others about him. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:</div><div class="q1">18&#8220;Here is my servant whom I have chosen,</div><div class="q2">the one I love, in whom I delight;</div><div class="q1">I will put my Spirit on him,</div><div class="q2">and he will proclaim justice to the nations.</div><div class="q1">19He will not quarrel or cry out;</div><div class="q2">no one will hear his voice in the streets.</div><div class="q1">20A bruised reed he will not break,</div><div class="q2">and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,</div><div class="q1">till he has brought justice through to victory.</div><div class="q2">21In his name the nations will put their hope.&#8221;#12:21 Isaiah 42:1-4</div><div class="s1">Jesus and Beelzebul</div><div class="p">22Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, &#8220;Could this be the Son of David?&#8221;</div><div class="p">24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, &#8220;It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.&#8221;</div><div class="p">25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, &#8220;Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.</div><div class="p">29 &#8220;Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man&#8217;s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.</div><div class="p">30 &#8220;Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.</div><div class="p">33 &#8220;Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Sign of Jonah</div><div class="p">38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, &#8220;Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.&#8221;</div><div class="p">39He answered, &#8220;A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon&#8217;s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.</div><div class="p">43 &#8220;When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, &#8216;I will return to the house I left.&#8217; When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus&#8217; Mother and Brothers</div><div class="p">46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, &#8220;Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p">48He replied to him, &#8220;Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?&#8221; 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, &#8220;Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="MAT.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">John the Baptist Beheaded</div><div class="p">1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, &#8220;This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.&#8221;</div><div class="p">3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip&#8217;s wife, 4for John had been saying to him: &#8220;It is not lawful for you to have her.&#8221; 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.</div><div class="p">6On Herod&#8217;s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, &#8220;Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.&#8221; 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John&#8217;s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand</div><div class="p">13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.</div><div class="p">15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, &#8220;This is a remote place, and it&#8217;s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.&#8221;</div><div class="p">16Jesus replied, &#8220;They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p">17&#8220;We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,&#8221; they answered.</div><div class="p">18 &#8220;Bring them here to me,&#8221; he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Walks on the Water</div><div class="p">22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.</div><div class="p">25Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. &#8220;It&#8217;s a ghost,&#8221; they said, and cried out in fear.</div><div class="p">27But Jesus immediately said to them: &#8220;Take courage! It is I. Don&#8217;t be afraid.&#8221;</div><div class="p">28&#8220;Lord, if it&#8217;s you,&#8221; Peter replied, &#8220;tell me to come to you on the water.&#8221;</div><div class="p">29 &#8220;Come,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p">Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, &#8220;Lord, save me!&#8221;</div><div class="p">31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. &#8220;You of little faith,&#8221; he said, &#8220;why did you doubt?&#8221;</div><div class="p">32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, &#8220;Truly you are the Son of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p">34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="MAT.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">That Which Defiles</div><div class="p">1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2&#8220;Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don&#8217;t wash their hands before they eat!&#8221;</div><div class="p">3Jesus replied, &#8220;And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, &#8216;Honor your father and mother&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 and &#8216;Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is &#8216;devoted to God,&#8217; 6they are not to &#8216;honor their father or mother&#8217; with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:</div><div class="q1">8 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;These people honor me with their lips,</div><div class="q2">but their hearts are far from me.</div><div class="q1">9 They worship me in vain;</div><div class="q2">their teachings are merely human rules.&#8217; #15:9 Isaiah 29:13 &#8221;</div><div class="p">10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, &#8220;Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone&#8217;s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.&#8221;</div><div class="p">12Then the disciples came to him and asked, &#8220;Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?&#8221;</div><div class="p">13He replied, &#8220;Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides.#15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.&#8221;</div><div class="p">15Peter said, &#8220;Explain the parable to us.&#8221;</div><div class="p">16 &#8220;Are you still so dull?&#8221; Jesus asked them. 17&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person&#8217;s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts&#8212;murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Faith of a Canaanite Woman</div><div class="p">21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, &#8220;Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.&#8221;</div><div class="p">23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, &#8220;Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.&#8221;</div><div class="p">24He answered, &#8220;I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p">25The woman came and knelt before him. &#8220;Lord, help me!&#8221; she said.</div><div class="p">26He replied, &#8220;It is not right to take the children&#8217;s bread and toss it to the dogs.&#8221;</div><div class="p">27&#8220;Yes it is, Lord,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master&#8217;s table.&#8221;</div><div class="p">28Then Jesus said to her, &#8220;Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.&#8221; And her daughter was healed at that moment.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand</div><div class="p">29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.</div><div class="p">32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, &#8220;I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.&#8221;</div><div class="p">33His disciples answered, &#8220;Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?&#8221;</div><div class="p">34 &#8220;How many loaves do you have?&#8221; Jesus asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Seven,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;and a few small fish.&#8221;</div><div class="p">35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="MAT.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">The Demand for a Sign</div><div class="p">1The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.</div><div class="p">2He replied, &#8220;When evening comes, you say, &#8216;It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,&#8217; 3and in the morning, &#8216;Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.&#8217; You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.#16:2,3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes&#8230; of the times. 4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.&#8221; Jesus then left them and went away.</div><div class="s1">The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees</div><div class="p">5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6&#8220;Be careful,&#8221; Jesus said to them. &#8220;Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.&#8221;</div><div class="p">7They discussed this among themselves and said, &#8220;It is because we didn&#8217;t bring any bread.&#8221;</div><div class="p">8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, &#8220;You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don&#8217;t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don&#8217;t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.&#8221; 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.</div><div class="s1">Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah</div><div class="p">13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, &#8220;Who do people say the Son of Man is?&#8221;</div><div class="p">14They replied, &#8220;Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.&#8221;</div><div class="p">15 &#8220;But what about you?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Who do you say I am?&#8221;</div><div class="p">16Simon Peter answered, &#8220;You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.&#8221;</div><div class="p">17Jesus replied, &#8220;Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,#16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock. and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades#16:18 That is, the realm of the dead will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be#16:19 Or will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be#16:19 Or will have been loosed in heaven.&#8221; 20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Predicts His Death</div><div class="p">21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.</div><div class="p">22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. &#8220;Never, Lord!&#8221; he said. &#8220;This shall never happen to you!&#8221;</div><div class="p">23Jesus turned and said to Peter, &#8220;Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.&#8221;</div><div class="p">24Then Jesus said to his disciples, &#8220;Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life#16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26. will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father&#8217;s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.</div><div class="p">28 &#8220;Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.&#8221;</div>
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