Mark 7
7
What Makes People Unclean?
1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who’d come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. 2They saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were unclean, that is, not ceremonially washed. 3The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat until they’ve washed their hands to make them clean. Their elders teach that they have to do that. 4When they come home from the market, they have to take a bath before they can eat anything. And they follow many other teachings too. For example, they wash cups, pitchers, and kettles in a special way.
5So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples follow what the elders teach? Why do they eat their food with unclean hands?”
6Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites! He said,
“ ‘These people honor me by what they say,
but their hearts are far away from me.
7Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me,
because they’re only teaching human rules.’
8You’ve let go of God’s commands, and instead you’re holding on to teachings that people have passed down.”
9Jesus continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside God’s commands so that you can follow your own teachings. 10Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ He also said, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother must be put to death.’ 11But you tell people that if they have money that they could use to help their parents, they can say instead that it’s Corban. (That means ‘a gift set apart for God.’) 12So you no longer allow them to do anything for their parents anymore. 13You make the word of God useless by putting your own teachings in its place. And you do this a lot.”
14Jesus called the crowd to him again and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15-16Nothing that’s outside of a person can make them unclean by going into them. It’s what comes out of a person that makes them unclean.”
17When he left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him what he’d meant by that. 18“Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make them unclean? 19It doesn’t go into their heart, but into their stomach, and then it passes right back out of the body.” This meant that all foods were clean.
20He went on to say, “What comes out of a person is what makes them unclean. 21It’s from the inside, from a person’s heart, that bad things come: sexual sins, stealing, murder, 22adultery, greed, hate, cheating, impurity, jealousy, lying, pride, and foolishness. 23All these bad things come from inside a person, and that’s what makes them unclean.”
Jesus Honors a Greek Woman’s Faith
24Jesus went from there to a place near Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. 25There was a woman whose little daughter had an evil spirit. As soon as the woman heard that Jesus was nearby, she came and bowed down at his feet. 26She was a Greek woman who’d been born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her. “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
28“Lord,” she answered, “even the dogs eat the children’s crumbs under the table.”
29“That’s a good answer,” Jesus told her. “Go on home, the demon has left your daughter.”
30So she went home and found her child lying quietly in bed, because the demon had gone.
Jesus Heals a Man Who Can’t Hear or Speak
31Then Jesus left the area of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee, and into the area known as the Ten Cities. 32There some people brought a man to Jesus who was deaf and could hardly speak. They begged Jesus to place his hands on the man.
33Jesus took the man to one side, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears, and then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34Jesus looked up to heaven and said to the man with a deep sigh, “Ephphatha!” which means, “Be opened!” 35The man’s ears were opened, his tongue was freed up, and he began to speak clearly.
36Jesus ordered the people not to tell anyone. But the more he did, the more they kept talking about it. 37People were overwhelmed and amazed and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes deaf people able to hear, and he makes those who can’t speak able to talk.”
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Radiate™ New Testament
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St Mark 7
7
1AND there assembled together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem.
2And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.
3For the Pharisees, and all the Jews eat not without often washing their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients:
4And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds.
5And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands?
6But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7And in vain to they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men.
8For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these.
9And he said to them: Well do you make void the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.
10For Moses said: Honor thy father and thy mother; and He that shall curse father or mother, dying let him die.
11But you say: If a man shall say to his father or mother, Corban, (which is a gift,) whatsoever is from me, shall profit thee.
12And further you suffer him not to do any thing for his father or mother,
13Making void the word of God by your own tradition, which you have given forth. And many other such like things you do.
14And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear ye me all, and understand.
15There is nothing from without a man that entering into him, can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man.
16If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17And when he was come into the house from the multitude, his disciples asked him the parable.
18And he saith to them: So are you also without knowledge? understand you not that every thing from without, entering into a man cannot defile him:
19Because it entereth not into his heart, but goeth into the belly, and goeth out into the privy, purging all meats?
20But he said that the things which come out from a man, they defile a man.
21For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.
24And rising from thence he went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon: and entering into a house, he would that no man should know it, and he could not be hid.
25For a woman as soon as she heard of him, whose daughter had an unclean spirit, came in and fell down at his feet.
26For the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophenician born. And she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27Who said to her: Suffer first the children to be filled: for it is not good to take the bread of the children, and cast it to the dogs.
28But she answered and said to him: Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat under the table of the crumbs of the children.
29And he said to her: For this saying go thy way, the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30And when she was come into her house, she found the girl lying upon the bed, and that the devil was gone out.
31And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
32And they bring to him one deaf and dumb; and they besought him that he would lay his hand upon him.
33And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears, and spitting, he touched his tongue:
34And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened.
35And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right.
36And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it.
37And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
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An historical text. In 1955 the Douay-Rheims Challoner Bible received the Imprimatur ✠ of the English Catholic Church from the Archbishop of Westminster.