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4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

5 And when he would have put him to death he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her what soever she would ask.

8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.c

9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 10 And he sent and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel; and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Je

sus.

13 ¶ When Jesus heard of it he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart; d and, when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude,

Charger, a basin. d Apart, alone.

Five thousand fed.

and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15 And when it was evening his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past;e send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves

victuals.

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart ; give ye them to eat.

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves and two fishes.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves and the two fishes, and, looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled; and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

22 And straightway f Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

e The time is now past, the day is far spent.

f Straightway, immediately.

Christ walketh on the sea. S. Matthew. Of men's traditions.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray; and when the evening was come he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea tossed with waves; for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night g Jesus went unto them walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him, and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

come

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous he was afraid; and, beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship the wind

ceased.

g Fourth watch, &c. between three and six in the morning, or after midnight.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

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34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of

that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased.

36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment; and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

2

CHAP. XV. God's commandments, and men's traditions. 10 What defileth a man. THEN came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition a of the elders; b for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3 But he answered, and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition ?

4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mo

a Tradition, something handed down from age to age without being

committed to writing; laws of the Jews not recorded in the Old Testa

ment.

b Elders, the ancients; ancient rulers or officers; ancestors.

The scribes reproved.

Chap. xv.

ther; and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But ye say, c Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me,

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

7 Ye hypocrites! well did Esaias d prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 10 ¶ And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?

13 But he answered, and

c Verses 5 and 6. But ye say, if a man say to his distressed father or mother, "I give or devote to the altar whatsoever of mine might be appropriated to thy relief," he shall not afterwards be under obligation to honour or relieve them by his assistance.

¿Esaias, Isaiah.

What defileth a man. said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

15 Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught:

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man?

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies;

20 These are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

21 ¶ Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidón.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples. came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

Christ healeth multitudes. S. Matthew.

24 But he answered, and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord help

me.

26 But he answered, and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.e

27 And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table.

28 Then Jesus answered, and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

29 ¶ And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee, and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.

30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet, and he healed them;

31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame

e Jesus in order to exercise the faith of this Gentile woman, addressed her, as if he were under the same prejudice as other Jews, who regarded the Gentiles as unworthy the blessings of God, and deserving no better treatment than dogs:

Four thousand fed.

to walk, and the blind to see; and they glorified the God of Israel.

32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness as to fill so great a multitude?

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

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

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

37 And they did all eat, and were filled; and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

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Christ warns his disciples. Chap. xvi.

THE Pharisees also, with the Sadducees, came, and tempting, desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.a

2 He answered, and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red:

3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites! ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times ? b

4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

5 ¶ And when his disciples were come to the other side they had forgotten to take bread.

6 ¶ Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees.

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is be

a A sign from heaven, a miracle ; they wished to see our Saviour produce some wonderful appearance in the heavens.

b Signs of the times; Do you not perceive, by comparing the present state of the world with prophecy, and by the correspondence of my miracles with those, which should be performed by the Messiah, that this is the time of his coming, and that I am indeed the very person, your long expected Saviour?

Opinions of Christ.

cause we have taken no bread. 8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, 0 ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread ?

9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

10 Neither the seven loaves

of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees?

12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; c and others, Jeremias, d or one of the prophets.

45 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

c Elias, Elijah.
d Jeremias, Jeremiah.

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