Mark 7 Now one day the Pharisees and some of the scribes (men learned in the Scriptures; Torah-teachers; theologians), upon coming from Jerusalem, are proceeding in being gathered together, facing toward Him.

JMNT⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Now [one day] the Pharisees and some of the scribes (men learned in the Scriptures; Torah-teachers; theologians), upon coming from Jerusalem, are proceeding in being gathered together, facing toward Him. ² And at seeing (perceiving; noticing) that some of His disciples are in the midst of eating the loaves (bread; = their meal) with ritually unclean (defiled or contaminated from common use) – that is, unwashed – hands, they found fault (or: complained). ³ For, you see, the Pharisees and all the Jews [i.e., those who adhere to the practices of the Jewish culture] are not in the habit of eating, unless they can (or: should) ceremonially wash [their] hands up to the wrist (or, perhaps: up to the elbow with a fistful of water; [Aleph & other MSS instead read: frequently]) – continuing to keep a strong hold on the traditions of the elders (also = the men of former times). ⁴ Even when returning from a marketplace, they are not in the habit of eating unless they can (or: should; would) ritually sprinkle or dip (= wash; baptize) themselves – and there are many other similar things which they accepted and take to their sides to be constantly holding fast: immersions (baptisms; = washings; ritual sprinklings) of cups and pitchers and copper vessels (or: bronze utensils), and of couches (beds; mats). ⁵ So both the Pharisees and the scribes continued with a question to Him: "Why are your disciples not continuing to walk (= conduct themselves; order their manner of living) in accord with and corresponding to the tradition of the Elders (the older men; the men of former times), but to the contrary they continue to eat the bread (= the meal) with ritually unclean (unwashed; common) hands?" ⁶ Yet He insightfully and decidedly said to them, "Isaiah beautifully (aptly; ideally) prophesies (or: prophesied) about (or: concerning) you the overly judging and critical folks (hupokrites; or: those who put texts under close inspection to sift and separate and then give an answer, an interpretation, an opinion; or: those who live by separating things yet who under-discern; or: those who make judgments from a low view; or: those who under-estimate reality; or: perverse scholars who focus on tiny distinctions), as it has been written [D reads: and said]: 'This people continues honoring Me with [their] lips, yet their heart is habitually distant (continues holding [itself] far) from Me. ⁷ 'But they habitually venerate Me (show Me adoration and reverence in worship and pious deeds) futilely (uselessly; ineffectually; fruitlessly; in vain), repeatedly teaching the results of men's directions (or: the effects of human commands, ordinances, precepts and implanted goals) for "teaching".' [Isa. 29:13] ⁸ "Abandoning (Sending off; Divorcing; Letting go) the implanted goal (impartation of the finished product within; inward directive) of and from God, you folks continuously keep a strong hold on the traditions of and from men." [some MSS add: – baptisms (= ceremonial washings) of pots (pitchers, jugs) and cups, and you are constantly doing many other similar things of this sort] ⁹ Further, He went on to say to them, "You men keep on beautifully (adroitly) setting aside God's implanted goal (impartation of the finished product within; inward directive and purposed destiny) so that you can keep and maintain your tradition, ¹⁰ "For instance, Moses said, 'Be habitually honoring and constantly expressing value for your father and your mother,' [Ex. 20:12] and, 'Let the one habitually saying something worthless, of bad quality, corrupt, or evil to or about father or mother progressively come to an end by (or: in) death (or: = be put to death).' [Ex. 21:17] ¹¹ "Yet you folks are yourselves constantly saying [that] a person (a man) can at any time say to father or mother, 'Whatever of mine by which you might have been helped or benefited [is] Corban (or: a korban; = an oblation, offering or sacrifice) ' – which is an approach present (a gift dedicated to God and usable for no other purpose). ¹² "You continue allowing him to no longer do a single thing (or: And so you people still continue releasing him to do nothing) for father or mother! ¹³ "This is habitually invalidating (depriving of lordship; making void of authority) the Word of God (God's Logos; God's thought and idea; God's message) by (or: in) your tradition which you folks give over (= handed down) – and you are constantly doing many such things of this kind (or: repeatedly performing many such similar [rituals] along this line)." ¹⁴ So, calling the crowd to Himself again, He began saying to them, "Everyone listen to Me (or: Hear Me – all of you folks –), and understand (or: let it flow together so as to get the meaning). ¹⁵ "There is nothing (not even one thing) from outside a person (a human) which, progressively entering into him, continues having power (is continuing able) to make him ritually defiled or unclean (or: can contaminate him or make him common). But to the contrary, the things habitually issuing forth from out of the person (human) – these things are habitually ritually defiling (contaminating; making common and unclean) the person (humanity). [comment: cf Hag. 2:4-19; here is a reverse-contagion: the Land is clean by the Spirit] ¹⁶ "If anyone continues having ears to hear, let him continue hearing (or: listening; or: = If someone can hear, let him pay attention to and obey what he is hearing)." ¹⁷ Now when He entered into a [other MSS: the] house, away from the crowd, His disciples began asking (or: inquiring of) Him about (concerning) the parable (the comparative illustration). ¹⁸ So He is then saying to them, "Do you people also thus continue being without understanding (a flowing together for perception and comprehension)? Are you folks still continuing to not use your mind and intellect (to not think or consider) so as to perceive and comprehend that nothing proceeding to enter into the person (human) continues having power or ability to ritually defile him (contaminate, pollute or make him common or unclean), ¹⁹ because it is not passing on into his heart, but rather, into the stomach and intestines (the cavity), and then proceeds to pass out into the toilet (evacuation seat; latrine)?" – [He is] proceeding in cleansing (making ritually clean) all foods! ²⁰ Further, He continued saying, "The thing normally issuing forth from out of midst of the person (human): that thing habitually contaminates the person (makes the person ritually polluted, unclean and common), ²¹ "for, from inside of the person (man; human) – from out of the midst of the heart – the worthless reasonings (base conversations; dialogues of poor quality; evil thoughts and schemes; bad ideas and designs) constantly issue forth: [for example], prostitutions, acts of sexual immorality or involvements in fornication; thefts; murders; ²² "adulteries; situations of wanting more than one's share (thoughts of greed; feelings of coveting), bad conditions which bring pain, gushes of misery, anguish or hard labor (or: acts of wickedness; malicious deeds; evil doings); bait to catch someone with deceit, treachery, guile or fraud; loose conduct (indecency); an evil eye (= a focus toward malice or mischief); villainous and light-hindering slander, harmful and abusive speech, or blasphemy; pride, arrogance and haughtiness; acting without thinking (or: imprudence; unreasonableness; inconsiderateness; lack of purpose; folly). ²³ "All these bad situations and misery-causing things are habitually issuing forth from within, and repeatedly contaminate the person (continuously make the human common, polluted and ritually unclean)." ²⁴ Now from there (or: from that place [= that house]), after rising up, He went off (or: away) into the regions (or: territories; districts) of Tyre and Sidon. Then, upon entering into a house, He was intending that no one was to know it (i.e., to learn that He was there). Even so, He continued unable to escape notice or to elude [them]. ²⁵ On the contrary, at once upon hearing about Him, a woman – whose little daughter continued having an unclean spirit (or: was still holding in impure breath-effect; was yet having a vicious and unpruned attitude; was continuing to hold a disposition which reeked of dirt, refuse and the contents of a grave) – upon entering, immediately prostrates (falls forward) toward His feet. ²⁶ Now the woman was a Greek (or: a Greek-speaking Gentile of the Hellenist culture; = a pagan) – a Syrophoenician by birth (= a native of Syro-Phoenicia) – and she kept on begging Him that He would cast out (expel) the demon (Hellenistic concept and term: = animistic influence) forth from the midst of her daughter. ²⁷ Yet Jesus began saying to her, "First allow (or: Let it flow off first for) the Children to be fed until satisfied, for it is not appropriate (good form; ideal; fine; beautiful) to take the bread of (or: which belongs to; from) the Children and to throw [it] to the little house dogs (or: pet dogs; puppies)." ²⁸ Now she considered a reply, and then says to Him, "Yes, Lord (or: Sir; Master), and yet [with other MSS: O Lord, even] the little house dogs underneath the table are normally eating from the crumbs (morsels; scraps) of the little children (or: young servants)." ²⁹ At that He said to her, "Because of this idea (thought; word; saying; = that remark), go! The demon (= spiritual influence) has gone forth from out of the midst of your daughter." ³⁰ So, after going away unto her house, she found the young girl [with other MSS: her daughter] prostrate, having been laid upon the bed (couch; mat) – the demon (= inner malady) having completely gone out. ³¹ Then, again, upon coming out from the boundaries (territories) of Tyre, He went through [those of] Sidon unto the sea of the Galilee [district], on up to the midst of the regions (boundaries; territories) of Decapolis [or, with p45, A & other MSS: going out from the midst of the regions of Tyre and Sidon, He went into the sea of Galilee {district}, amidst the territories of {the} Decapolis {note: Greek cities}]. ³² Here folks proceeded bringing to Him a man with blunted hearing (= deaf) who also had some speech impediment, and they are continuing to call Him to their side, entreating Him so that He would place [His] hand upon him. ³³ So, taking him away from the crowd privately, He thrusts His fingers into his ears, and, upon spitting, He touched his tongue [with the spittle] (or: took hold of his tongue; or: brought [it] in contact with his tongue), so as to activate it. ³⁴ Then, looking up into the sky and atmosphere (or: the heaven), He groaned (or: sighs; or: took a deep breath) and is then saying to him, "Ephphatha [note: an Aramaic word]," which is, "Be thoroughly opened up!" ³⁵ And his hearing abilities were at once opened up, and the bond (fetter; thing of the binding) of his tongue was loosed (or: destroyed), and he began speaking normally (correctly; in a straight and upright way). ³⁶ And with that He Himself made full arrangements with them, cautioning them to the end that they could (or: should) be then telling no one; yet, as much as He kept on making these arrangements for them, cautioning them, they themselves much more kept on proclaiming it publicly to a greater degree. ³⁷ Indeed, they kept on being superexceedingly amazed and astonished beyond all bounds, repeatedly saying, "He has done all things beautifully (has made everything ideally and finely): even the sensory blunted (or: deaf) ones He continues making to be habitually hearing, and speechless (mute) ones to be constantly speaking!"