Mark 7:1-23

Traditions and Commandments

1  a Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes b who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were c defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, ▼
▼ Greek  unless they wash the hands with a fist, probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing
 holding to e the tradition of f the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. ▼
▼ Greek  unless they baptize; some manuscripts  unless they purify themselves
 And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as h the washing of i cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. ▼
▼ Some manuscripts omit  and dining couches
) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to k the tradition of l the elders m but eat with n defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you o hypocrites, as it is written,

p “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
 7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as q doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of r rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said s ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and t ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) ▼
▼ Or an offering
— 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus v making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

What Defiles a Person

14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, w “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15  x There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” ▼
▼ Some manuscripts add verse 16: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear
 17 And when he had entered z the house and left the people aa his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then ab are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart ac but his stomach, and is expelled?” ▼
▼ Greek goes out into the latrine
 ( ae Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, af “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft ag murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit ah sensuality ai envy aj slander ak pride al foolishness. 23  am All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

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