Mark 7
Easy-to-Read Version
God’s Law and Human Traditions(A)
7 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus. 2 They saw that some of his followers ate food with hands that were not clean, meaning that they did not wash their hands in a special way. 3 The Pharisees and all the other Jews never eat before washing their hands in this special way. They do this to follow the traditions they have from their great leaders who lived long ago. 4 And when these Jews buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash it in a special way. They also follow other rules from their people who lived before them. They follow rules like the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.[a]
5 The Pharisees and teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Your followers don’t follow the traditions we have from our great leaders who lived long ago. They eat their food with hands that are not clean. Why do they do this?”
6 Jesus answered, “You are all hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he wrote these words from God about you:
‘These people honor me with their words,
but I am not really important to them.
7 Their worship of me is worthless.
The things they teach are only human rules.’ (B)
8 You have stopped following God’s commands, preferring instead the man-made rules you got from others.”
9 Then he said, “You show great skill in avoiding the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings! 10 Moses said, ‘You must respect your father and mother.’[b] He also said, ‘Whoever says anything bad to their father or mother must be killed.’[c] 11 But you teach that people can say to their father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ 12 You are telling people that they do not have to do anything for their father or mother. 13 So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have, which you pass on to others. And you do many things like that.”
14 Jesus called the people to him again. He said, “Everyone should listen to me and understand what I am saying. 15 There is nothing people can put in their mouth that will make them wrong.[d] People are made wrong by what comes from inside them.” 16 [e]
17 Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. The followers asked Jesus about what he had told the people. 18 He said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? Surely you know that nothing that enters the mouth from the outside can make people unacceptable to God. 19 Food does not go into a person’s mind. It goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant there is no food that is wrong for people to eat.)
20 And Jesus said, “The things that make people wrong are the things that come from the inside. 21 All these bad things begin inside a person, in the mind: bad thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, 22 adultery, greed, doing bad things to people, lying, doing things that are morally wrong, jealousy, insulting people, proud talking, and foolish living. 23 These evil things come from inside a person. And these are the things that make people unacceptable to God.”
Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman(C)
24 Jesus went from there to the area around Tyre. He did not want the people in that area to know he was there, so he went into a house. But he could not stay hidden. 25 A woman heard that he was there. Her little daughter had an evil spirit inside her. So the woman came to Jesus and bowed down near his feet. 26 She was not a Jew. She was born in Phoenicia, an area 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 he told her, “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 on the bed. The demon was gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31 Then Jesus left the area around Tyre and went through Sidon. On his way to Lake Galilee he went through the area of the Ten Towns. 32 While he was there, some people brought a man to him who was deaf and could not talk clearly. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.
33 Jesus led the man away from the people to be alone with him. He put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit on a finger and put it on the man’s tongue. 34 Jesus looked up to the sky and with a loud sigh he said, “Ephphatha!” (This means “Open!”) 35 As soon as Jesus did this, the man was able to hear. He was able to use his tongue, and he began to speak clearly.
36 Jesus told the people not to tell anyone about this. But the more he told them not to say anything, the more people they told. 37 They were all completely amazed. They said, “Look at what he has done. It’s all good. He makes deaf people able to hear and gives a new voice to people who could not talk.”
Footnotes
- Mark 7:4 pots Some Greek copies add “and couches.”
- Mark 7:10
Quote from Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16. - Mark 7:10
Quote from Ex. 21:17. - Mark 7:15 wrong Literally, “unclean” or “not pure,” meaning unacceptable to God. Also in verse 20.
- Mark 7:16 Some Greek copies add verse 16: “You people who hear me, listen!”
Marco 7
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
Discussione sulle tradizioni farisaiche
7 Allora si riunirono attorno a lui i farisei e alcuni degli scribi venuti da Gerusalemme. 2 Avendo visto che alcuni dei suoi discepoli prendevano cibo con mani immonde, cioè non lavate - 3 i farisei infatti e tutti i Giudei non mangiano se non si sono lavate le mani fino al gomito, attenendosi alla tradizione degli antichi, 4 e tornando dal mercato non mangiano senza aver fatto le abluzioni, e osservano molte altre cose per tradizione, come lavature di bicchieri, stoviglie e oggetti di rame - 5 quei farisei e scribi lo interrogarono: «Perché i tuoi discepoli non si comportano secondo la tradizione degli antichi, ma prendono cibo con mani immonde?». 6 Ed egli rispose loro: «Bene ha profetato Isaia di voi, ipocriti, come sta scritto:
Questo popolo mi onora con le labbra,
ma il suo cuore è lontano da me.
7 Invano essi mi rendono culto,
insegnando dottrine che sono precetti di uomini.
8 Trascurando il comandamento di Dio, voi osservate la tradizione degli uomini». 9 E aggiungeva: «Siete veramente abili nell'eludere il comandamento di Dio, per osservare la vostra tradizione. 10 Mosè infatti disse: Onora tuo padre e tua madre, e chi maledice il padre e la madre sia messo a morte. 11 Voi invece dicendo: Se uno dichiara al padre o alla madre: è Korbàn, cioè offerta sacra, quello che ti sarebbe dovuto da me, 12 non gli permettete più di fare nulla per il padre e la madre, 13 annullando così la parola di Dio con la tradizione che avete tramandato voi. E di cose simili ne fate molte».
Insegnamento sul puro e sull'impuro
14 Chiamata di nuovo la folla, diceva loro: «Ascoltatemi tutti e intendete bene: 15 non c'è nulla fuori dell'uomo che, entrando in lui, possa contaminarlo; sono invece le cose che escono dall'uomo a contaminarlo». 16 .
17 Quando entrò in una casa lontano dalla folla, i discepoli lo interrogarono sul significato di quella parabola. 18 E disse loro: «Siete anche voi così privi di intelletto? Non capite che tutto ciò che entra nell'uomo dal di fuori non può contaminarlo, 19 perché non gli entra nel cuore ma nel ventre e va a finire nella fogna?». Dichiarava così mondi tutti gli alimenti. 20 Quindi soggiunse: «Ciò che esce dall'uomo, questo sì contamina l'uomo. 21 Dal di dentro infatti, cioè dal cuore degli uomini, escono le intenzioni cattive: fornicazioni, furti, omicidi, 22 adultèri, cupidigie, malvagità, inganno, impudicizia, invidia, calunnia, superbia, stoltezza. 23 Tutte queste cose cattive vengono fuori dal di dentro e contaminano l'uomo».
III. VIAGGI DI GESU' FUORI DALLA GALILEA
Guarigione della figlia di una Siro-fenicia
24 Partito di là, andò nella regione di Tiro e di Sidone. Ed entrato in una casa, voleva che nessuno lo sapesse, ma non potè restare nascosto. 25 Subito una donna che aveva la sua figlioletta posseduta da uno spirito immondo, appena lo seppe, andò e si gettò ai suoi piedi. 26 Ora, quella donna che lo pregava di scacciare il demonio dalla figlia era greca, di origine siro-fenicia. 27 Ed egli le disse: «Lascia prima che si sfamino i figli; non è bene prendere il pane dei figli e gettarlo ai cagnolini». 28 Ma essa replicò: «Sì, Signore, ma anche i cagnolini sotto la tavola mangiano delle briciole dei figli». 29 Allora le disse: «Per questa tua parola và, il demonio è uscito da tua figlia».
30 Tornata a casa, trovò la bambina coricata sul letto e il demonio se n'era andato.
Guarigione di un sordomuto
31 Di ritorno dalla regione di Tiro, passò per Sidone, dirigendosi verso il mare di Galilea in pieno territorio della Decàpoli. 32 E gli condussero un sordomuto, pregandolo di imporgli la mano. 33 E portandolo in disparte lontano dalla folla, gli pose le dita negli orecchi e con la saliva gli toccò la lingua; 34 guardando quindi verso il cielo, emise un sospiro e disse: «Effatà» cioè: «Apriti!». 35 E subito gli si aprirono gli orecchi, si sciolse il nodo della sua lingua e parlava correttamente. 36 E comandò loro di non dirlo a nessuno. Ma più egli lo raccomandava, più essi ne parlavano 37 e, pieni di stupore, dicevano: «Ha fatto bene ogni cosa; fa udire i sordi e fa parlare i muti!».
Mark 7
King James Version
7 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International