24. Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. But Jesus could not stay hidden.
25. A woman heard that he was there. Her little daughter had an evil spirit in her. So the woman quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet.
26. She was not Jewish. She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter.
27. Jesus told the woman: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.”
28. She answered, “That is true, Lord. But the dogs under the table can eat the pieces of food that the children don’t eat.”
29. Then Jesus said, “That is a very good answer. You may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
30. The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed. The demon was gone.
31. Then Jesus left the area around Tyre. He went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns.
32. While he was there, some people brought a man to him. This man was deaf and could not talk. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.
33. Jesus led the man away from the crowd, to be alone with him. Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue.
34. Jesus looked up to heaven and took a deep breath. He said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means, “Be opened.”)
35. When Jesus did this, the man was able to hear. He was also able to use his tongue, and he spoke clearly.
36. Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he commanded them, the more they told about it.
37. They were really amazed. They said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And those who can’t talk—Jesus makes them able to speak.”