Mark 7
7
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
1One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. 2They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. 3(The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands,#7:3 Greek have washed with the fist. as required by their ancient traditions. 4Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands#7:4a Some manuscripts read sprinkle themselves. in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.#7:4b Some manuscripts add and dining couches.)
5So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
6Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ # 7:7 Isa 29:13 (Greek version).
8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
9Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’#7:10a Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16. and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’#7:10b Exod 21:17 (Greek version); Lev 20:9 (Greek version). 11But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’#7:11 Greek ‘What I would have given to you is Corban’ (that is, a gift). 12In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
14Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.#7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16, Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Compare 4:9, 23.”
17Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. 18“Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 19Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)
20And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
The Faith of a Gentile Woman
24Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre.#7:24 Some manuscripts add and Sidon. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. 25Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil#7:25 Greek unclean. spirit, 26and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.
Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, 27Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews.#7:27 Greek Let the children eat first. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
28She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
29 “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” 30And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
31Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns.#7:31 Greek Decapolis. 32A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.
33Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. 34Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” 35Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!
36Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. 37They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”
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Mark 7: NLT
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Mark 7
7
The Traditions of the Elders
1The # Mt 15:1-20 Pharisees # Mk 7:3 and some of the scribes # Mt 2:4 who had come from Jerusalem # Mt 23:37 gathered around Him. 2They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean # Ac 10:28 — 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. 4When they come from the marketplace, # Mk 6:56 they do not eat unless they have washed. # Heb 6:2; 9:10 And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches. # Other mss omit and dining couches # Lk 5:18) 5Then the Pharisees # Mk 7:3 and the scribes # Mt 2:4 asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, # 3Jn 1 instead of eating bread with ritually unclean # Other mss read with unwashed hands? ”
6He answered them, “Isaiah # Mt 3:3; 4:14; 12:17 prophesied # Jn 11:51 correctly about you hypocrites, # Lk 6:42 as it is written: # Ac 15:15
These people honor # 1Tm 5:3 Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
7They worship Me in vain,
teaching # Mt 28:20; Ac 4:2; 2Tm 4:11 as doctrines # Rm 15:4 the commands # Col 2:22 of men. # Is 29:13 # Is 29:13
8Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.” # Other mss add The washing of jugs, and cups, and many other similar things you practice. 9He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain # Other mss read to establish your tradition! 10For Moses # Ps 77:20; Mt 8:4; Heb 3:2 said:
Honor your father and your mother; # Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16 # Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16 and
Whoever speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death. # Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9 # Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9
11But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit # Mk 5:26 you might have received from me is Corban’ ” (that is, a gift # Heb 5:1; 9:9; 11:4 committed to the temple), 12“you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13You revoke God’s word # Mk 4:14; Lk 8:21; Jn 18:32 by your tradition that you have handed # Jd 3 down. And you do many other similar things.” 14Summoning # Lk 18:16 the crowd again, He told them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: # Mt 13:13 15Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. 16If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen! ” # Other mss omit bracketed text
17When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked Him about the parable. 18And 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? 19For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach # Php 3:19 and is eliminated.” # Lit goes out into the toilet (As a result, He made all foods clean. # Other mss read is eliminated, making all foods clean.” # 1Jn 1:7) 20Then He said, “What comes out of a person — that defiles him. 21For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, # 1Th 4:3 thefts, murders, # Pr 1:16 22adulteries, # Nm 5:11 greed, # Eph 5:3 evil actions, deceit, # Ps 10:7 promiscuity, # Rm 13:13; 2Co 12:21; Gl 5:19; Eph 4:19; 1Pt 4:3; 2Pt 2:2,7,18 stinginess, # Lit evil eye blasphemy, # Jn 10:33; Rv 13:6 pride, # Ps 17:10 and foolishness. # 2Co 11:1 23All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
24He got up and departed from # Mt 15:21-28 there to the region of Tyre # Ac 21:7 and Sidon. # Other mss omit and Sidon # Gn 49:13 He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but He could not escape notice. 25Instead, immediately after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit # Lk 11:24 came and fell at His feet. # Lk 8:47 26Now the woman was Greek, # Ac 17:12 a Syrophoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to drive the demon # Mk 3:15; Rv 9:20; 18:2 out of her daughter. 27He 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.” # Ex 22:31
28But she replied to Him, “Lord, # Lk 10:1 even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29Then He told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.
Jesus Does Everything Well
31Again, leaving the region of Tyre, # Ac 21:7 He went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, # Mt 4:18; 15:29; Mk 1:16; Jn 6:1 through # Or into the region of the Decapolis. # Mt 4:25; Mk 5:20 32They brought to Him a deaf # Lk 7:22 man who also had a speech difficulty, # Ex 4:11; Is 35:6; 56:10 and begged Jesus to lay His hand on # 1Tm 5:22 him. 33So He took him away from the crowd privately. After putting His fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, # Jn 9:6 He touched his tongue. 34Then, looking up to heaven, # Mt 24:35; Lk 12:33; Ac 17:24; Eph 6:9; Rv 21:10 He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” # An Aram expression (that is, “Be opened! ”). 35Immediately his ears were opened, # Phm 10 his speech difficulty was removed, # Lit opened, the bond of his tongue was untied and he began to speak clearly. # Lk 20:21 36Then He ordered them to tell no one, # Mk 1:44; Lk 8:56 but the more He would order them, the more they would proclaim # Mk 1:4 it.
37They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well! # Gn 1:31 He even makes deaf # Lk 7:22 people hear, and people unable to speak, # Mk 9:17 talk! ”
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