Mark 7:1–13

Traditions and Commandments

7^pNow when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes ^qwho had come from Jerusalem, ²they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were ^rdefiled, that is, unwashed. ³(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,¹ holding to ^sthe tradition of ^tthe elders, ⁴and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.² And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as ^uthe washing of ^vcups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.³) ⁵And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to ^sthe tradition of ^tthe elders, ^wbut eat with ^rdefiled hands?” ⁶And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^xhypocrites, as it is written,

^y“ ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

⁷in vain do they worship me,

teaching as ^zdoctrines the commandments of men.’

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

⁹And he said to them, “You have a fine way of ^arejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! ¹⁰For Moses said, ^b‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^c‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹But 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)⁴— ¹²then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, ¹³thus ^dmaking void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”