Mark 7

Traditions and Commandments

1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, 2 who upon seeing some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is to say, with unwashed, hands, they condemned them. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands often, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the market, unless they wash, they eat not. And there are many other things which they took upon themselves to hold such as the washing of cups and pots, brasen vessels and of tables.) 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat bread with unwashed hands?

6 He answered and said unto them, Well has Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they honor me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men as the washing of pots and cups, and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he also said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother, and, Whosoever curses father or mother shall most definitely die. 11 But ye say, It is enough if a man shall say to his father or mother, It is all Corban, (that is to say, my gift to God) whatever with which thou mightest be profited by me. 12 And ye suffer him to do no more for his father or for his mother, 13 invalidating the word of God with your tradition, which ye have given; and many such like things do ye.

What Defiles a Person

14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you and understand; 15 there is nothing from outside the man that entering into him can defile him, but the things which come out of him, those are what defile the man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he said unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not understand that anything from outside that enters into the man cannot defile him? 19 Because it enters not into his heart, but into the belly, and the man goes out to the privy and purges all foods. 20 For he had said that it is what comes out of the man that defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, come forth the evil thoughts, the adulteries, the fornications, the murders, 22 the thefts, the covetousness, the wickedness, the deceit, the lasciviousness, the evil eye, the slander, the pride, the unwiseness: 23 all these evil things come out from within and defile the man.

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

24 And from there he arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entering into a house, desired that no man know of it; but he could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him and came and fell at his feet; 26 the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation, and she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this word go; the demon has gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she came to her house, she found that the demon had gone out, and the daughter lay upon the bed.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre, he came by 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 put his hand upon him. 33 And taking him aside from the multitude, he put his fingers into the man’s ears; and spitting, he touched the man’s tongue with the saliva; 34 and looking up to heaven, he cried out, and said, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and that which bound his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no one; but the more he commanded them, so much more and more they published it 37 and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He has done all things well: he makes both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.

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