Mark 7

Tradition and Worship

1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around [Jesus] , 2 and they saw some of His disciples eating [with] hands [that were] defiled— that is, unwashed. 3 Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews {do} not eat until they wash [their] hands ceremonially. 4 And [on returning] from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, [including] the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining. ▼

▼NE and WH do not include couches for dining

5 So the Pharisees and scribes questioned [Jesus] : “Why {do} Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.” 6 Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with [their] lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 7 They worship Me in vain; they teach [as] doctrine [the] precepts of men.’ ▼

▼Isaiah 29:13

8 You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” ▼

▼BYZ and TR include washings of cups and pots and many such things like these

9 He went on to say, “vvv You neatly set aside the commandment of God to maintain ▼

▼NA establish

your [own] tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ ▼

▼Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16

and, ‘Anyone who curses [his] father or mother must be put to death.’ ▼

▼Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9

11 But you say that if a man says to [his] father or mother, ‘ [The help] you would have received from me [is] Corban’ (that is, a gift committed to God) , 12 he [is] no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. 13 [Thus] you nullify the word of God by [the] tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such [matters] .”

What Defiles a Man

14 Once again [Jesus] called the crowd [to Him] [and] said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand: 15 Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile [him] .” ▼

▼BYZ and TR include 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.

17 After [Jesus] had left the crowd [and gone] into [the] house, His disciples inquired about the parable. 18 “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “vvv Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart, but [it goes] into the stomach and then is eliminated.” ([Thus] all foods are clean.) 20 He continued: “What comes out of a man, that [is what] defiles [him] . 21 For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ▼

▼Many sources move adultery to verse 22

22 greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, [and] foolishness. 23 All these evils come from within, and [these are what] defile a man.”

The Faith of the Gentile Woman

24 [Jesus] left that place [and] went to the region of Tyre. ▼

▼WH, BYZ and TR include and Sidon

Not wanting anyone to know [He was there] , He entered [a] house, but was unable to escape their notice. 25 Instead, a woman whose little daughter had [an] unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, [and] she came [and] fell at His feet. 26 Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking [Jesus] to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 “First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss [it] to the dogs.” 28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs ▼

▼Or puppies

under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then [Jesus] told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home [and] found [her] child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

The Deaf and Mute Man

31 Then [Jesus] left the region of Tyre [and] went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee [and] into the region of [the] Decapolis. ▼

▼That is, the Ten Cities

32 [Some people] brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged [Jesus] to place [His] hand on him. 33 [So] [Jesus] took him aside privately, away from the crowd, [and] put His fingers into [the man’s] ears. Then He spit [and] touched [the man’s] tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!” ). 35 Immediately [the man’s] ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly. 36 [Jesus] ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed [it] . 37 [The people] were utterly astonished [and] said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak!”