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.”
Omahongero wootate mukururume
(Mt 15:1-9)1 Ovafarisei nozonongo zomambo tjiva, mba zire kOjerusalem va woronganena pu Jesus. 2 Owo va muna ovahongewa va Jesus tjiva amave ri ovikurya nomake nga tunḓaka, okutja onomake nge hiya kohwa.
3 (Orondu Ovafarisei nOvajuda avehe ve horera kombazu yooihe mukururume: Owo kave ri ovikurya ngunda ave hiye rikoha komake. 4 Nu wina tji mave zu koruveze romarandisiro kave ri ovikurya ngunda rutenga ave hiye rikoha oveni. Owo wina ve nozombazu nḓu ve ṱakamisa tjimuna imbwi omuhingo omusemba wokukoha ovinwino, nomahoro, novitjuma vyongoporo, novimata vyokusuva).
5 Ovafarisei nozonongo zomambo otji va pura Jesus ave tja: “Okutjavi ovahongewa woye tji ve ha hupu otja kombazu yootate mukururume, nu tji ve rya ovikurya nomake nge hiya kohwa?”
6 Jesus we ve zira a tja: “Omuprofete Jesaja wa sora indu tja profeta ohunga na eṋe! Oweṋe ovanatjavivi, otja eye punga a tjangere na tja:
‘Ndjambi ma tja, otjiwaṋa hi, tji ndji yozika nomambo,
nungwari omutima watjo u ri kokure na ami.
7 Owo mave rikotamene ku ami omungandjo uriri,
orondu owo ve honga omahongero wovandu,
aayo owo onge ri omatwako wa Ndjambi!’
8 “Eṋe mu nakaura omatwako wa Ndjambi, nu mu kara nonḓuviro kombazu yovandu.”
9 Nu Jesus wa hungira komurungu na tja: “Eṋe muno muhingo omuwa mbu mu nakaura nawo etwako ra Ndjambi kokutja mu kakatere kombazu yeṋu. 10 Orondu Moses wa tjere: ‘Yozika iho na nyoko,’ nu ‘ngamwa ngu ma sengi ihe poo ina, nga ṱe.’ 11 Nungwari eṋe mu honga ovandu kutja omundu ma yenene okutja nai ku ihe poo ku ina: ‘Otjiyandjewa ngamwa atjihe tji mo sokupewa i ami otjo oKorban’ (okutja, otjiyandjewa tjombunguhiro ku Ndjambi). 12 Eṋe otji mu ha yandjere omundu ngwi kutja a vatere ihe poo ina otjiṋa. 13 Momuhingo mbwi ombazu yeṋu ndji mu honga kovandu ye ve tjita kutja embo ra Ndjambi ri rire omungandjo uriri. Nu wina pe noviṋa vyarwe ovingi mbya sana ku imbi mbi mu tjita.”
Oviṋa mbi zunḓa omundu
(Mt 15:10-20)14 Jesus wa isanena otjimbumba tjovandu rukwao ku ye na tja: “Purateneye ku ami amuhe, nu mu zuve nawa. 15 Otjiṋa tji tji za pendje nu atji hiti momundu, katji tji zunḓa omundu, posi ya, ihi tji tji za momundu otji tji zunḓa omundu. 16 Ngu nomatwi okuzuva nga zuve.”
17 Jesus wa zapo potjimbumba na kahita mondjuwo, novahongewa ve otji ve mu ningira kutja e ve handjaurire omasanekero nga. 18 Eye wa tja ku wo: “Eṋe nangwari wina kamu nakuzuva nawa otjiṋa hi are? Kamu nokutjiwa kutja atjihe tji tji za pendje nu atji hiti momundu katji tji zunḓa omundu, 19 otjo tjinga atji ha hiti momutima we, nungwari tjinga atji hita mezumo re nu atji kapita morutu rwe are?” Komuhingo mbwi Jesus otja zuvisa kutja ovikurya avihe vya pwa okuriwa.
20 Nu eye wa hungira komurungu a tja: “Ihi tji tji za momundu otji tji zunḓa omundu. 21 Orondu momundu, moukoto womutima womundu, omu mu za omeripura omavi, okutja; ombakirasaneno, ourunga, omazepero, 22 okukatuka orukupo, omunenetima, okutjita oviṋa ovivi pekepeke; ovineya, ouhakohoke, eruru, okuyambururasana, omeritongamisiro, nouyova. 23 Oviṋa avihe ovivi mbi vi za moukoto womundu, nu ombi mu zunḓa.”
Ongamburiro yomukazendu Omukanaan
(Mt 15:21-28)24 Tjazumba Jesus wa ya korukondwa rwehi rotjihuro Tirus. Eye wa kahita mondjuwo yorive, e hi nokuvanga kutja a tjiukwe i omundu, nungwari eye ka yenenene okurihoreka. 25 Tjimanga omukazendu, ngwa ri nomukazona ngwa ri nombepo ohakohoke, wa zuva Jesus, notje ya ku ye, ne riwisire pozombaze ze. 26 Omukazendu ngwi wa ri Omugrike, ngwa kwaterwa morukondwa rwa Fenisie, mehi ra Sirie. Eye we riyarikaṋa ku Jesus kutja a pitise ombepo ohakohoke momuatje we omukazona. 27 Nungwari Jesus wa zira a tja: “Rutenga ngatu kutise ovanatje, orondu kakokuwa okutoora ovikurya vyovanatje nokuviumbira ozombwa.”
28 Omukazendu wa zira a tja: “Muhona, nangarire oumbona wina u rya ovikurya ovanatje mbi va wisire kehi yotjiriro!”
29 Nu Jesus arire tja tja komukazendu: “Mena romambo woye ngu wa hungire ngo, nambano yaruka koyoye; ove mo kavaza ombepo ohakohoke aya piti momuatje woye.”
30 Omukazendu wa yaruka koye nu a kavaza omuatje we a rangavara kombete, tjandje nao ombepo ohakohoke ya piti rukuru mu ye.
Jesus ma verukisa omundu otjikume nu omboro
31 Jesus wa zire mo rukwao morukondwa rwa Tirus, a tuurunga ehi ra kOsidon, na kavaza kOmuronga wa Galilea mehi ra Dekapolis. 32 Ovandu tjiva otji va eta omundu ku ye ngwa ri omboro nu ngwa patere eraka, nu ave riyarikaṋa kutja Jesus a yambeke omake we ku ye. 33 Jesus otja isa mo omundu ngwi motjimbumba, e mu twara peke, a twa mo ominwe vye momatwi we, a tjeke omate nu a ṱunu keraka re. 34 Okuzambo Jesus wa tara keyuru, a tjeme nomasa na tja komundu ngwi: “Efata,” okutja “Paturuka!”
35 Tjimanga omatwi womundu ngwi otji ya paturuka, neraka re ari kutuka na utu okuhungira nawa. 36 Jesus wa rakiza ovandu kutja ave ha serekarere otjiṋa hi komundu; nungwari punga e ve tjaera okutjita nao, owo opunga aave tji zuvarisire ko. 37 Nu avehe mba zuvire otjiṋa hi va himinwe tjinene nave tja: “Eye wa sora oviṋa avihe. Wa yandja okuzuva kozomboro, nokuhungira ku imba ovikume.”
