7:1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, |
7:2 and had seen that some of His disciples ate their bread with impure hands, in other words, unwashed. |
7:3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; |
7:4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and many other things they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) |
7:5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?" |
7:6 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as he stated: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART STRAYS FAR AWAY FROM ME. |
7:7 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' |
7:8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." |
7:9 He also said to them, "You have become experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. |
7:10 "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, WILL RECEIVE DEATH'; |
7:11 but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you I have dedicated to Corban (namely, given to God),' |
7:12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; |
7:13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that." |
7:14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: |
7:15 nothing exists outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man defile the man. |
7:16 ["If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."] |
7:17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. |
7:18 And He said to them, "Do you so lack in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, |
7:19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and becomes eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) |
7:20 And He said, "That which proceeds out of the man defiles the man. |
7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, |
7:22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. |
7:23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." |
7:24 Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. |
7:25 But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. |
7:26 Now the woman we identify as a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. |
7:27 And He said to her, "Let the children have satisfaction first, for we do not consider it good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." |
7:28 But she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs." |
7:29 And He said to her, "Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter." |
7:30 And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left. |
7:31 Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. |
7:32 They brought to Him one who had deafness and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. |
7:33 Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; |
7:34 and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" namely, "Become open!" |
7:35 And his ears opened, and the impediment of his tongue disappeared, and he began speaking plainly. |
7:36 And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. |
7:37 They felt utterly astonished, saying, "He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." |