Mark 7
Contemporary English Version
The Teaching of the Ancestors
(Matthew 15.1-9)
7 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.[a]
3 The Pharisees and many others obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way[b] 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.[c]
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 (A) 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 (B) 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.[d] 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.”[e]
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.”[f]
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.[g] 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!”[h] 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.”
Footnotes
- 7.2 without first washing their hands: The Jewish people had strict laws about washing their hands before eating, especially if they had been out in public.
- 7.3 in the proper way: The Greek text has “with the fist,” but the exact meaning is not clear. It could mean “to the wrist” or “to the elbow.”
- 7.4 bowls: Some manuscripts add “and sleeping mats.”
- 7.11 has been offered to God: According to Jewish custom, when anything was offered to God, it could not be used for anyone else, not even for a person's parents.
- 7.15,16 unclean: Some manuscripts add, “If you have ears, pay attention.”
- 7.27 feed it to dogs: Some Jewish people referred to Gentiles as dogs.
- 7.31 the ten cities known as Decapolis: See the note at 5.20.
- 7.34 Effatha: This word is in Aramaic, a language spoken in Palestine during the time of Jesus.
Mark 7
Christian Standard Bible
The Traditions of the Elders
7 The(A) Pharisees(B) and some of the scribes(C) who had come from Jerusalem(D) gathered around him. 2 They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean(E)—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace,(F) they do not eat unless they have washed.(G) And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches.[a](H)) 5 So the Pharisees(I) and the scribes(J) asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live[b] according to the tradition of the elders,(K) instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean[c] hands?”
6 He answered them, “Isaiah(L) prophesied(M) correctly about you hypocrites,(N) as it is written: (O)
This people honors(P) me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.
7 They worship me in vain,
teaching(Q) as doctrines(R) human commands.[d](S)
8 Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.”[e] 9 He also said to them, “You have a fine way of invalidating God’s command in order to set up[f] your tradition! 10 For Moses(T) said: Honor your father and your mother; [g](U) and Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.[h](V) 11 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit(W) you might have received from me is corban’” (that is, an offering(X) devoted to God), 12 “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 You nullify the word of God(Y) by your tradition that you have handed(Z) down. And you do many other similar things.”
14 Summoning(AA) the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand:(AB) 15 Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”[i]
17 When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach(AC) and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods clean(AD)). 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities,(AE) thefts, murders,(AF) 22 adulteries,(AG) greed,(AH) evil actions, deceit,(AI) self-indulgence,(AJ) envy,[j] slander,(AK) pride,(AL) and foolishness.(AM) 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
24 He got up and departed from(AN) there to the region of Tyre.[k](AO) He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice. 25 Instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit(AP) came and fell at his feet.(AQ) 26 The woman was a Gentile,[l](AR) a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon(AS) out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”(AT)
28 But she replied to him, “Lord,(AU) even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.
Jesus Does Everything Well
31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre,(AV) he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,(AW) through[m] the region of the Decapolis.(AX) 32 They brought to him a deaf(AY) man who had difficulty speaking(AZ) and begged Jesus to lay his hand on(BA) him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting,(BB) he touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven,(BC) he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!”[n] (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened,(BD) his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.(BE) 36 He ordered them to tell no one,(BF) but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it.(BG)
37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well.(BH) He even makes the deaf(BI) hear and the mute speak.”(BJ)
Footnotes
- 7:4 Other mss omit and dining couches
- 7:5 Lit walk
- 7:5 Other mss read with unwashed
- 7:6–7 Is 29:13
- 7:8 Other mss add The washing of jugs, and cups, and many other similar things you practice.
- 7:9 Or to maintain
- 7:10 Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16
- 7:10 Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9
- 7:15 Some mss include v. 16: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.”
- 7:22 Or evil eye
- 7:24 Many early mss add and Sidon
- 7:26 Or a Greek (speaker)
- 7:31 Or into
- 7:34 An Aramaic expression
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