Mark 7
International Children’s Bible
Obey God’s Law Not Men’s
7 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus. 2 They saw that some of Jesus’ followers ate food with hands that were not clean. (“Not clean” means that they did not wash their hands in the way the Pharisees said people must. 3 The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in this special way. They do this to follow the teaching given to them by their great people who lived before them. 4 And when the Jews buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash it in a special way. They also follow other rules of their great people who lived before them. They follow rules about the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.[a])
5 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Your followers don’t follow the rules given to us by our great people who lived before us. Your followers 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 spoke about you. Isaiah wrote,
‘These people show honor to me with words.
But their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship of me is worthless.
The things they teach are nothing
but human rules they have memorized.’ Isaiah 29:13
8 You have stopped following the commands of God. Now you only follow the teachings of men.”[b]
9 Then Jesus said to them: “You think you are clever! You ignore the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings! 10 Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’[c] Then Moses also said, ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’[d] 11 But you teach that a person can say to his 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 that person that he does not have to do anything for his father or mother. 13 So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think that it is more important to follow your own rules, which you teach people. And you do many things like that.”
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!]”[e]
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.”
Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman
24 Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre.[f] 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.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31 Then Jesus left the area around Tyre. He went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns.[g] 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.”
Footnotes
- 7:4 pots Some Greek copies continue, “and dining couches.”
- 7:8 teachings of men Some Greek copies continue, “You wash pitchers and jugs and do many other such things.”
- 7:10 ‘Honor . . . mother.’ Quotation from Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16.
- 7:10 ‘Anyone . . . death.’ Quotation from Exodus 21:17.
- 7:16 Let . . . listen. Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text.
- 7:24 Tyre Some Greek copies continue, “and Sidon.”
- 7:31 Ten Towns In Greek, called “Decapolis.” It was an area east of Lake Galilee that once had ten main towns.
Mark 7
Lexham English Bible
Human Traditions and God’s Commandments
7 And the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to him. 2 And they saw that some of his disciples were eating their[a] bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ritually,[b] thus[c] holding fast to the traditions of the elders. 4 And when they come[d] from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions[e] which they have received and[f] hold fast to—for example,[g] the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze kettles and dining couches.)[h] 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their[i] bread with unclean hands?” 6 So he said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their[j] lips,
but their heart is far, far away from me.
7 And they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’[k]
8 Abandoning the commandment of God, you hold fast to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep[l] your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[m] and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die[n].’[o] 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his[p] father or to his[q] mother, “Whatever benefit you would have received[r] from me is corban”[s] (that is, a gift to God), 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his[t] father or his[u] mother, 13 thus[v] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar things such as this.”
Defilement from Within
14 And summoning the crowd again, he said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside of a person that is able to defile him by[w] going into him. But the things that go out of a person are the things that defile a person.”[x] 17 And when he entered into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “So are you also without understanding? Do you not understand that everything that is outside that goes into a person is not able to defile him? 19 For it does not enter into his heart but into his[y] stomach, and goes out into the latrine”—thus[z] declaring all foods clean. 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person, that defiles a person. 21 For from within, from the heart of people, come evil plans, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, acts of greed, malicious deeds, deceit, licentiousness, envy,[aa] abusive speech, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”
A Syrophoenician Woman’s Great Faith
24 And from there he set out and[ab] went to the region of Tyre. And when he[ac] entered into a house, he wanted no one to know, and yet he was not able to escape notice. 25 But immediately a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, when she[ad] heard about him, came and[ae] fell down at his feet, 26 Now the woman was a Greek—a Syrophoenician by nationality—and she was asking him that he would expel the demon from her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it[af] to the dogs!” 28 But she answered and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “Because of this statement, go! The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And when she[ag] went to her home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.
A Man Deaf and Unable to Speak Healed
31 And again he went away from the region of Tyre and[ah] came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they were imploring him that he would place his[ai] hand on him. 33 And he took him away from the crowd by himself and[aj] put his fingers into his ears, and after[ak] spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 And[al] his ears were opened and his difficulty in speaking was removed[am] and he began to speak normally. 36 And he ordered them that they should say nothing, but as much as he ordered them not to, they proclaimed it[an] even more instead. 37 And they were amazed beyond all measure, saying, “He has done all things well! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
Footnotes
- Mark 7:2 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:3 Literally “with the fist”; although the exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain, there is general agreement it has to do with the ritual or ceremonial nature of the handwashing
- Mark 7:3 Here “thus” is supplied as a component of the participle (“holding fast to”) which is understood as result
- Mark 7:4 The phrase “when they come” is not in the Greek text but is implied
- Mark 7:4 The word “traditions” is not in the Greek text but is implied
- Mark 7:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“have received”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 7:4 The phrase “for example” is not in the Greek text but is supplied as a clarification in the English translation
- Mark 7:4 Several important manuscripts omit “and dining couches”
- Mark 7:5 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:6 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:7 A quotation from Isa 29:13
- Mark 7:9 Some manuscripts have “you can maintain”
- Mark 7:10 A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16
- Mark 7:10 Literally “let him die the death”
- Mark 7:10 A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9
- Mark 7:11 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:11 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:11 Literally “you would have been benefited”
- Mark 7:11 A Hebrew term referring to something consecrated as a gift to God and thus not available for ordinary use
- Mark 7:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:13 Here “thus” is supplied as a component of the participle (“making void”) which is understood as result
- Mark 7:15 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“going”) which is understood as means
- Mark 7:15 Most later manuscripts add v. 16, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Mark 7:19 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:19 Here “thus” is supplied as a component of the participle (“declaring”) which is understood as result
- Mark 7:22 Literally “the evil eye”
- Mark 7:24 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“set out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 7:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“entered”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 7:25 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 7:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 7:27 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 7:30 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“went”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 7:31 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went away”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 7:32 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 7:33 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took … away”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 7:33 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“spitting”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 7:35 Some manuscripts have “And immediately”
- Mark 7:35 Literally “the bond of his tongue was loosened”
- Mark 7:36 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
Marco 7
La Nuova Diodati
7 Allora si riunirono intorno a lui i farisei e alcuni scribi venuti da Gerusalemme.
2 E, avendo visto che alcuni dei suoi discepoli mangiavano il cibo con le mani impure, cioè non lavate, li accusarono.
3 Infatti i farisei e tutti i Giudei non mangiano se non si sono prima lavate le mani con gran cura, attenendosi alla tradizione degli anziani;
4 e, quando tornano dalla piazza, non mangiano senza prima essersi purificati. Ci sono molte altre cose, che sono tenuti ad osservare per tradizione: lavatura di coppe, di brocche, di vasi di rame e di letti.
5 Poi i farisei e gli scribi gli domandarono: «Perché i tuoi discepoli non si comportano secondo la tradizione degli anziani, ma prendono il cibo senza lavarsi le mani?».
6 Ma egli, rispondendo, disse loro: «Ben profetizzò Isaia di voi, ipocriti, come sta scritto: "Questo popolo mi onora con le labbra, ma il loro cuore è lontano da me.
7 Ma invano mi rendono un culto, insegnando dottrine che sono precetti di uomini"
8 Trascurando infatti il comandamento di Dio, vi attenete alla tradizione degli uomini: lavatura di brocche e di coppe; e fate molte altre cose simili».
9 Disse loro ancora: «Voi siete abili nell'annullare il comandamento di Dio, per osservare la vostra tradizione.
10 Mosé infatti ha detto: "onora tuo padre e tua madre" e: "chi maledice il padre o la madre sia messo a morte".
11 Ma voi dite: "Se un uomo dice a suo padre o a sua madre: Tutto quello con cui potrei assisterti è Corban cioè un'offerta a Dio",
12 non gli lasciate piú far nulla per suo padre o per sua madre,
13 annullando cosí la parola di Dio con la vostra tradizione, che voi avete tramandata. E fate molte altre cose simili».
14 Poi, chiamata a sé tutta la folla, disse loro: «Ascoltatemi tutti ed intendete:
15 Non c'è nulla di esterno all'uomo che, entrando in lui, possa contaminarlo; sono invece le cose che escono da lui che lo contaminano.
16 Chi ha orecchi da udire, oda!».
17 Quando poi egli fu rientrato in casa, lontano dalla folla, i suoi discepoli lo interrogarono sul significato della parabola.
18 Ed egli disse loro: «Siete anche voi cosí privi d'intelligenza? Non capite voi che tutto ciò che dal di fuori entra nell'uomo non può contaminarlo,
19 perché non entra nel suo cuore, ma nel ventre, e poi se ne va nella fogna?». Cosí dicendo, dichiarava puri tutti gli alimenti.
20 Disse ancora: «Ciò che esce dall'uomo, quello lo contamina.
21 Dal di dentro infatti, cioè dal cuore degli uomini, procedono pensieri malvagi, adultéri, fornicazioni, omicidi,
22 furti, cupidigie, malizie, frodi, insolenza, invidia, bestemmia, orgoglio, stoltezza.
23 Tutte queste cose malvagie escono dal di dentro dell'uomo e lo contaminano».
24 Poi partí di là e andò nel territorio di Tiro e di Sidone, entrò in una casa e non voleva che alcuno lo sapesse, ma non potè restare nascosto.
25 Infatti una donna, la cui figlia aveva uno spirito immondo, avendo sentito parlare di Gesú, venne e gli si gettò ai piedi.
26 Or quella donna era greca, sirofenicia di origine, e lo pregava di scacciare il demone da sua figlia;
27 ma Gesú le disse: «Lascia che si sazino prima i figli, perché non è bene prendere il pane dei figli e gettarlo ai cagnolini».
28 Ma ella rispose e gli disse: «Dici bene, o Signore, ma anche i cagnolini sotto la tavola mangiano delle briciole dei figli».
29 Allora egli le disse: «Per questa tua parola, va il demone è uscito da tua figlia».
30 Ed ella, tornata a casa sua, trovò la figlia coricata a letto, e il demone era uscito da lei.
31 Poi Gesú, partito di nuovo dal territorio di Tiro e di Sidone, giunse al mare di Galilea, in mezzo al territorio della Decapoli.
32 E gli presentarono un sordo che parlava a stento, pregandolo di imporgli le mani.
33 Ed egli, condottolo in disparte, lontano dalla folla, gli mise le dita negli orecchi e, dopo aver sputato, gli toccò la lingua.
34 Poi, alzati gli occhi al cielo, sospirò e gli disse: «Effata», che vuol dire: «Apriti!».
35 E subito gli si aprirono gli orecchi si sciolse il nodo della sua lingua e parlava distintamente.
36 E Gesú ordinò loro di non dirlo a nessuno; ma quanto piú lo vietava loro, tanto piú essi lo divulgavano.
37 E, pieni di stupore, dicevano: «Egli ha fatto bene ogni cosa: egli fa udire i sordi e parlare i muti!».
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