Mark 7
Holman 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 their bread with unclean(E)—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, 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, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.[a](H)) 5 Then the Pharisees(I) and the scribes(J) asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders,(K) instead of eating bread with ritually unclean[b] hands?”
6 He answered them, “Isaiah(L) prophesied(M) correctly about you hypocrites,(N) as it is written:(O)
These people honor(P) Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
7 They worship Me in vain,
teaching(Q) as doctrines(R) the commands(S) of men.(T)[c]
8 Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.”[d] 9 He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain[e] your tradition! 10 For Moses(U) said:
Honor your father and your mother;(V)[f] and
Whoever speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.(W)[g]
11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit(X) you might have received from me is Corban’” (that is, a gift(Y) committed to the temple), 12 “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 You revoke God’s word(Z) by your tradition that you have handed(AA) down. And you do many other similar things.” 14 Summoning(AB) the crowd again, He told them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:(AC) 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. [16 If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!]”[h]
17 When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a man from the outside can defile him? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach(AD) and is eliminated.”[i] (As a result, He made all foods clean.[j](AE)) 20 Then He said, “What comes out of a person—that defiles him. 21 For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities,(AF) thefts, murders,(AG) 22 adulteries,(AH) greed,(AI) evil actions, deceit,(AJ) promiscuity,(AK) stinginess,[k] blasphemy,(AL) pride,(AM) and foolishness.(AN) 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
24 He got up and departed from(AO) there to the region of Tyre(AP) and Sidon.[l](AQ) 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(AR) came and fell at His feet.(AS) 26 Now the woman was Greek,(AT) a Syrophoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to drive the demon(AU) out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Allow the children to be satisfied first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”(AV)
28 But she replied to Him, “Lord,(AW) 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 gone out of 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,(AX) He went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,(AY) through[m] the region of the Decapolis.(AZ) 32 They brought to Him a deaf(BA) man who also had a speech difficulty,(BB) and begged Jesus to lay His hand on(BC) him. 33 So He took him away from the crowd privately. After putting His fingers in the man’s ears and spitting,(BD) He touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven,(BE) He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!”[n] (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened,(BF) his speech difficulty was removed,[o] and he began to speak clearly.(BG) 36 Then He ordered them to tell no one,(BH) but the more He would order them, the more they would proclaim(BI) it.
37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well!(BJ) He even makes deaf(BK) people hear, and people unable to speak,(BL) talk!”
Footnotes
- Mark 7:4 Other mss omit and dining couches
- Mark 7:5 Other mss read with unwashed
- Mark 7:7 Is 29:13
- Mark 7:8 Other mss add The washing of jugs, and cups, and many other similar things you practice.
- Mark 7:9 Other mss read to establish
- Mark 7:10 Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16
- Mark 7:10 Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9
- Mark 7:16 Other mss omit bracketed text
- Mark 7:19 Lit goes out into the toilet
- Mark 7:19 Other mss read is eliminated, making all foods clean.”
- Mark 7:22 Lit evil eye
- Mark 7:24 Other mss omit and Sidon
- Mark 7:31 Or into
- Mark 7:34 An Aram expression
- Mark 7:35 Lit opened, the bond of his tongue was untied
Mark 7
Complete Jewish Bible
7 The P’rushim and some of the Torah-teachers who had come from Yerushalayim gathered together with Yeshua 2 and saw that some of his talmidim ate with ritually unclean hands, that is, without doing n’tilat-yadayim. 3 (For the P’rushim, and indeed all the Judeans, holding fast to the Tradition of the Elders, do not eat unless they have given their hands a ceremonial washing. 4 Also, when they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they have rinsed their hands up to the wrist; and they adhere to many other traditions, such as washing cups, pots and bronze vessels.)
5 The P’rushim and the Torah-teachers asked him, “Why don’t your talmidim live in accordance with the Tradition of the Elders, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?” 6 Yeshua answered them, “Yesha‘yahu was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites — as it is written,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far away from me.
7 Their worship of me is useless,
because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.’[a]
8 “You depart from God’s command and hold onto human tradition. 9 Indeed,” he said to them, “you have made a fine art of departing from God’s command in order to keep your tradition! 10 For Moshe said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[b] and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’[c] 11 But you say, ‘If someone says to his father or mother, “I have promised as a korban” ’ ” (that is, as a gift to God) “ ‘ “what I might have used to help you,” ’ 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus, with your tradition which you had handed down to you, you nullify the Word of God! And you do other things like this.”
14 Then Yeshua called the people to him again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand this! 15 There is nothing outside a person which, by going into him, can make him unclean. Rather, it is the things that come out of a person which make a person unclean!” 16 [d]
17 When he had left the people and entered the house, his talmidim asked him about the parable. 18 He replied to them, “So you too are without understanding? Don’t you see that nothing going into a person from outside can make him unclean? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and it passes out into the latrine.” (Thus he declared all foods ritually clean.) 20 “It is what comes out of a person,” he went on, “that makes him unclean. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come forth wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, foolishness…. 23 All these wicked things come from within, and they make a person unclean.”
24 Next, Yeshua left that district and went off to the vicinity of Tzor and Tzidon. There he found a house to stay in and wanted to remain unrecognized, but keeping hidden proved impossible. 25 Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit in her came to him and fell down at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, by birth a Syro-phoenician, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s food and toss it to their pet dogs.” 28 She answered him, “That is true, sir; but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s leftovers.” 29 Then he said to her, “For such an answer you may go on home; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went back home and found the child lying on the couch, the demon gone.
31 Then he left the district of Tzor and went through Tzidon to Lake Kinneret and on to the region of the Ten Towns. 32 They brought him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and asked Yeshua to lay his hand on him. 33 Taking him off alone, away from the crowd, Yeshua put his fingers into the man’s ears, spat, and touched his tongue; 34 then, looking up to heaven, he gave a deep groan and said to him, “Hippatach!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 His ears were opened, his tongue was freed, and he began speaking clearly. 36 Yeshua ordered the people to tell no one; but the more he insisted, the more zealously they spread the news. 37 People were overcome with amazement. “Everything he does, he does well!” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak!”
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Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.