Mark 7:14-23

International Children’s Bible

¹⁴ Jesus called the people to him again. He said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying. ¹⁵ There is nothing a person puts into his body that makes him unclean. A person is made unclean by the things that come out of him. ¹⁶ [Let those with ears use them and listen!]”^[a]

¹⁷ When Jesus left the people and went inside, his followers asked him about this story. ¹⁸ Jesus said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? Surely you know that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean. ¹⁹ Food does not go into a person’s mind. Food goes into his stomach. Then that food goes out of his body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that there is no food that is unclean for people to eat.)

²⁰ And Jesus said, “The things that come out of a man are the things that make him unclean. ²¹ All these evil things begin inside a person, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, ²² selfishness, doing bad things to other people, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, saying bad things about people, pride, and foolish living. ²³ All these evil things come from within a person. These things make a person unclean.”