Mark 7

What makes a person common

And the Pharisees gather to him and some of the scribes having come from Jerusalem. 2 And seeing that some of his disciples are eating the loaves with common hands, that is, unwashed— 3 for the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash the hands with a fist, do not eat, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and from the marketplace, unless they immerse, do not eat, but also there are many things which they took to hold, washings of cups and pots and copper vessels [and couches]— 5 and the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, “For what reason do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but they eat the loaf with common hands?” 6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied well concerning you hypocrites, as it has been written [that], ‘This people honours me with the lips, but their heart is far away from me; 7 in vain they worship me, teaching (as) teachings commandments of people.’” 8 Leaving the commandment of God you hold to the tradition of people. 9 And he said to them, “Well you reject the commandment of God in order that you might establish your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honour your father and your mother,’ and, ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother, let him come to an end by death.’ 11 You say, ‘If a person says to the father or the mother, “Corban (that is a gift) (is) whatever you received from me”’— 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for the father or the mother, 13 cancelling the word of God by your tradition which you handed down. And you do many similar things.”

4 And having called the crowd again he said to them, “Hear me, all, and understand. 15 There is nothing outside the person going into him which can make him common, but the things going out from the person are the things making the person common. 16 [If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.]

17 And when he went into a house from the crowd, his disciples asked him (about) the parable. 18 And he says to them, “So you also are without understanding? Do you not understand that everything outside going into the person cannot make him common 19 because it goes not into his heart but into the stomach and goes out into the latrine? (He is) making clean all the foods. 20 He said that what goes out from the person, that makes the person common. 21 For within from the heart of people the evil thoughts go out, fornications, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, covetings, wickednesses, deceit, sensuality, evil eye, blasphemy, arrogance, thoughtlessness. 23 All these evil things go out from within and make the person common.

The Syrophoenician woman

24 From there, having arisen, he went away to the borders of Tyre; and having entered a house he was wanting no one to know, and he could not escape notice, 25 but immediately, having heard about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having come fell down at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race; and she asked him that he might cast out the demon from her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let first the children be fed, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 She answered and says to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “Because of this word go away, the demon has come out from your daughter. 30 And having gone away to her house, she found the child thrown on the bed and the demon having come out.

Jesus heals a man who cannot hear or speak properly

31 And again having come from the borders of Tyre he came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the midst of the borders of Decapolis. 32 And they bring to him a (person) deaf and speech impaired and they urge him that he might lay the hand upon him. 33 And having taken him away from the crowd in private he put his fingers into his ears and having spat touched his tongue, 34 and having looked up to the heaven he groaned and says to him, “Ephphatha”—that is, “Be opened.” 35 And [immediately] his hearings were opened, and the bond of his tongue was released, and he was speaking rightly. 36 And he commanded them that they speak to no one, but as much as he was commanding them, all the more they were proclaiming. 37 And they were amazed beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well, and he makes the deaf to hear and [the] dumb to speak.”