Mark 7

Obey God’s Law

1 When 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, that is, they hadn’t washed them.3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in the way required by their unwritten laws.4 And when they buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash themselves in a special way. They also follow many other unwritten laws, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots. 

5 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Why don’t your followers obey the unwritten laws which have been handed down to us? Why do your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean?”

6 Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he spoke about you hypocrites. He 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.’ t
8 You have stopped following the commands of God, and you follow only human teachings.” 9 Then Jesus said to them, “You cleverly ignore the commands of God so you can follow your own teachings. 10 Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ 11 But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but it is Corban—a gift to God.’ 12 You no longer let that person use that money for his father or his mother.

13 By your own rules, which you teach people, you are rejecting what God said. And you do many things like that.”
14 After Jesus called the crowd to him again, he said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying. 15 There is nothing people put into their bodies that makes them unclean. People are made unclean by the things that come out of them. [16 Let those with ears use them and listen.]” 17 When Jesus left the people and went into the house, his followers asked him about this story.18 Jesus said, “Do you still not understand? Surely you know that nothing that enters someone from the outside can make that person unclean.

19 It does not go into the mind, but into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that no longer was any food unclean for people to eat.)
20 And Jesus said, “The things that come out of people are the things that make them unclean. 21 All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, 22 greed, evil actions, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, speaking evil of others, pride, and foolish living.

23 All these evil things come from inside and make people unclean.”

Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman

24 Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard that he was there. So she quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet.

26 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 But she answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then Jesus said, “Because of your 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 and went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns. 

32 While he was there, some people brought a man to him who was deaf and could not talk plainly. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.
33 Jesus led the man away from the crowd, by himself. He put his fingers in the man’s ears and then spit and touched the man’s tongue.34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means, “Be opened.”)

35 Instantly the man was able to hear and to use his tongue so that 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 completely amazed and said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And those who can’t talk he makes able to speak.”

Mark 7

1 And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem,2 and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders;4 and when they come from the market-place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.)5 And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?6 And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

7 But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.

8 Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.9 And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition.10 For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death:11 but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God;12 ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his mother;13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.14 And he called to him the multitude again, and said unto them, Hear me all of you, and understand:15 there is nothing from without the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man.16 If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear.17 And when he was entered into the house from the multitude, his disciples asked of him the parable.18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from without goeth into the man, it cannot defile him;19 because it goeth not into his heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught? This he said, making all meats clean.20 And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man.21 For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,22 covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness:23 all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.24 And from thence he arose, and went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered into a house, and would have no man know it; and he could not be hid.25 But straightway a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet.26 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter.27 And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs.28 But she answered and saith unto him, Yea, Lord; even the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter.30 And she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the bed, and the demon gone out.31 And again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis.32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to lay his hand upon him.33 And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue;34 and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.35 And his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it.37 And they were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.