Mark 7
New Testament for Everyone
God’s law and human tradition
7 The Pharisees gathered round Jesus, together with some legal experts from Jerusalem. 2 They saw that some of his disciples were eating their food with unclean (that is, unwashed) hands.
3 (The Pharisees, you see—and indeed all the Jews—don’t eat unless they first carefully wash their hands. This is to maintain the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come in from the market, they never eat without washing. There are many other traditions which they observe: washings of cups, pots and bronze dishes.)
5 Anyway, the Pharisees and legal experts asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples follow the tradition of the elders? Why do they eat their food with unwashed hands?”
6 “Isaiah summed you up just right,” Jesus replied. “What hypocrites you are! What he said was this:
With their lips this people honors me,
but with their hearts they turn away from me;
7 all in vain they think to worship me,
all they teach is human commands.
8 “You abandon God’s commands, and keep human tradition!
9 “So,” he went on, “you have a fine way of setting aside God’s command so as to maintain your tradition. 10 Here’s an example: Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who slanders father or mother should die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If someone says to their father or mother, “What you might get from me—it’s Korban!” ’ (which means, ‘given-to-God’), 12 you don’t let them do anything else for their father or mother! 13 The net result is that you invalidate God’s word through this tradition which you hand on. And there are lots more things like that which you do.”
Clean and unclean
14 Jesus summoned the crowd again.
“Listen to me, all of you,” he said, “and get this straight. 15 What goes into you from outside can’t make you unclean. What makes you unclean is what comes out from inside.”
17 When they got back into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable.
18 “You didn’t get it either?” he asked. “Don’t you see that whatever goes into someone from outside can’t make them unclean? 19 It doesn’t go into the heart; it only goes into the stomach, and then carries on, out down the drain.” (Result: all foods are clean.)
20 “What makes someone unclean,” he went on, “is what comes out of them. 21 Evil intentions come from inside, out of people’s hearts—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, treachery, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, stupidity. 23 These evil things all come from inside. They are what make someone unclean.”
The Syrophoenician woman
24 Jesus got up, left that place, and went to the region of Tyre. When he went into a house, he didn’t want anyone to know, but it wasn’t possible for him to remain hidden. 25 On the contrary: news of him at once reached a woman who had a young daughter with an unclean spirit. She came and threw herself down at his feet. 26 She was Greek, a Syrophoenician by race; and she asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27 “First let the children eat what they want,” Jesus replied. “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
28 “Well, Master,” she said, “even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs that the children drop.”
29 “Well said!” replied Jesus. “Off you go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 So she went home, and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
A deaf and mute man is healed
31 Jesus went away from the region of Tyre, through Sidon, round towards the sea of Galilee, and into the region of the Ten Towns. 32 They brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and asked that he would lay his hand on him.
33 Jesus took the man off in private, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into his ears, spat, and touched his tongue. 34 Then he looked up to heaven, groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened”). 35 Immediately the man’s ears were opened, and his tongue was untied, and he spoke clearly.
36 Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them, the more they spread the news. 37 They were totally astonished.
“Everything he does is marvelous!” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
Mark 7
New King James Version
Defilement Comes from Within(A)
7 Then (B)the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now [a]when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with (C)unwashed hands, [b]they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands [c]in a special way, holding the (D)tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.
5 (E)Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you (F)hypocrites, as it is written:
(G)‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—[d]the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
9 He said to them, “All too well (H)you [e]reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, (I)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, (J)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, (K)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
14 (L)When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and (M)understand: 15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that (N)defile a man. 16 (O)If[f] anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
17 (P)When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 So He said to them, (Q)“Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, [g]thus purifying all foods?” 20 And He said, (R)“What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 (S)For from within, out of the heart of men, (T)proceed evil thoughts, (U)adulteries, (V)fornications, murders, 22 thefts, (W)covetousness, wickedness, (X)deceit, (Y)lewdness, an evil eye, (Z)blasphemy, (AA)pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
A Gentile Shows Her Faith(AB)
24 (AC)From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre [h]and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be (AD)hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and (AE)fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a [i]Greek, a [j]Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept [k]asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
28 And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.
Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute(AF)
31 (AG)Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. 32 Then (AH)they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and (AI)He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, (AJ)looking up to heaven, (AK)He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
35 (AL)Immediately his ears were opened, and the [l]impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then (AM)He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 And they were (AN)astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He (AO)makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Footnotes
- Mark 7:2 NU omits when
- Mark 7:2 NU omits they found fault
- Mark 7:3 Lit. with the fist
- Mark 7:8 NU omits the rest of v. 8.
- Mark 7:9 set aside
- Mark 7:16 NU omits v. 16.
- Mark 7:19 NU sets off the final phrase as Mark’s comment that Jesus has declared all foods clean.
- Mark 7:24 NU omits and Sidon
- Mark 7:26 Gentile
- Mark 7:26 A Syrian of Phoenicia
- Mark 7:26 begging
- Mark 7:35 Lit. bond
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
