Mark 7:1–23

THE TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS

7Theⁿ Pharisees^o and some of the scribes^p who had come from Jerusalem^q gathered around him. ²They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean^r—that is, unwashed—hands. ³(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴When they come from the marketplace,^s they do not eat unless they have washed.^t And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches.^cu) ⁵So the Pharisees^v and the scribes^w asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live^D according to the tradition of the elders,^x instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean^E hands?”

⁶He answered them, “Isaiah^y prophesied^z correctly about you hypocrites,^aa as it is written:^ab

This people honors^ac me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

⁷They worship me in vain,

teaching^ad as doctrines^ae human commands.^Faf

⁸Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.”^{G 9}He also said to them, “You have a fine way of invalidating God’s command in order to set up^H your tradition! ¹⁰For Moses^ag said: Honor your father and your mother;^Iah and Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.^{Jai 11}But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit^aj you might have received from me is corban’ ” (that is, an offering^ak devoted to God), ¹²“you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³You nullify the word of God^al by your tradition that you have handed^am down. And you do many other similar things.”

¹⁴Summoning^an the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand:^{ao 15}Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

¹⁷When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? ¹⁹For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach^ap and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods clean^Kaq). ²⁰And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities,^ar thefts, murders,^{as 22}adulteries,^at greed,^au evil actions, deceit,^av self-indulgence,^aw envy,^B slander,^ax pride,^ay and foolishness.^{az 23}All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”