The Tradition of the Elders
(Mark 7:1–13)

1Then Pharisees and scribes† come to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, 2“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they shall eat bread.”

3And answering, He said to them, “Why also do you⁺ transgress the commandment of God because of your⁺ tradition? 4For God said,† ‘Honor your father and mother’† and ‘The one speaking evil of father or mother, in death let him end.’† 5But you⁺ say, ‘Whoever might say to father or mother: Whatever you might be profited by me is a gift,’ 6he shall not honor† his father or his mother.† And you⁺ made void the word† of God because of your⁺ tradition. 7Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you⁺, saying:

8‘This people honors† Me with the lips,

but their heart is kept far away from Me;

9and in vain they worship Me,

teaching as teachings the precepts of men.’†”

What Defiles a Man
(Mark 7:14–23)

10And having summoned the crowd, He said to them, “Hear and understand. 11Not what is entering into the mouth defiles the man; but what is proceeding out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

12Then the disciples,† having come, said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees, having heard the saying, were offended?”

13And answering, He said, “Every plant that My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14Leave them! They are blind guides of the blind.† And if the blind may guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15And answering, Peter said to Him, “Explain to us this† parable.”

16And He said, “Are you⁺ also still without understanding? 17Do you⁺ not perceive† that everything entering into the mouth goes into the belly and is cast out into the sewer? 18But the things proceeding out of the mouth come forth out of the heart, and these defile the man. 19For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, slanders. 20These are the things defiling the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman
(Mark 7:24–30)

21And having gone out from there, Jesus withdrew to the parts of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a Canaanite woman from those borders, having come out, was crying out,† saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”

23But He did not answer her a word. And having come, His disciples were imploring Him, saying, “Dismiss her, because she cries out after us.”

24And answering, He said, “I was not sent, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25And having come, she was worshiping Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

26And answering, He said, “It is not good to take the bread of the children and to cast it to the dogs.†”

27And she said, “Yes, Lord, for even the dogs eat from the crumbs falling from the table of their masters.”

28“Then answering, Jesus said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

The Feeding of the Four Thousand
(2 Kings 4:42–44; Mark 8:1–10)

29And having departed from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. And having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30And many crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the crippled, the blind, the mute,† and many others. And they cast them at His feet,† and He healed them, 31so that the crowd† marveled, seeing the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

32And Jesus, having summoned His disciples, said, “I have compassion toward the crowd, because already three days they continue with Me, and they have nothing that they might eat. And I do not want to dismiss them hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

33And the disciples say to Him, “From where unto us in a secluded place are so many loaves so as to satisfy so great a crowd?”

34And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves do you⁺ have?”

And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

35And having commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks, He broke them and was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.

37And they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up the superabounding of the fragments, seven baskets full. 38And those eating were four thousand men, apart from women and children.

39And having dismissed the crowds, He entered into the boat and went to the borders of Magadan.†

Footnotes:

1 BYZ and TR scribes and Pharisees
4 BYZ and TR For God commanded, saying
4 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
4 Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9
6 BYZ and TR then he shall not honor
6 NE and TR (see also Mark 7:12); or he need not honor his father or his mother with it; SBL, NA, WH, and BYZ do not include or his mother.
6 BYZ and TR the commandment
8 BYZ and TR This people draws near to Me with their mouth and honors
9 Isaiah 29:13 (see also LXX)
12 BYZ and TR His disciples; similarly in verses 33 and 36
14 Or blind guides
15 TH and WH the
17 BYZ and TR Do you not yet perceive
22 BYZ and TR include to Him.
26 Or puppies; also in verse 27
30 NA the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute; other CT vary in order.
30 BYZ and TR at Jesus’ feet
31 BYZ and TR crowds
39 BYZ and TR Magdala