Mark 7:8-37

8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

9And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’

11But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—

12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.

13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.

15Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.

18“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?

19For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

20He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.

21For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder,

22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

23All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

24Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.

25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet.

26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

33After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.

34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”).

35At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

36Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

37People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”