Mark 7:14-37

The Heart of Man

14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:

15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.

16 [ "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."]

17 When he had left the crowd and entered ¹the house, ²His disciples questioned Him about the parable.

18 And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot * defile him,

19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated * *?" (Thus He declared ³all foods ⁴clean.)

20 And He was saying, "⁵That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.

21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,

22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, ⁶envy *, slander, pride and foolishness.

23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

The Syrophoenician Woman

24 ⁷Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of ⁸Tyre . And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice.

25 But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet.

26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

27 And He was saying to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

28 But she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs."

29 And He said to her, "Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter."

30 And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.

31 ⁹Again He went out from the region of ¹⁰Tyre, and came through Sidon to ¹¹the Sea of Galilee, within * the region of ¹²Decapolis.

32 They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to ¹³lay His hand on him.

33 ¹⁴Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after ¹⁵spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva;

34 and looking up to heaven with a deep ¹⁶sigh, He said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!"

35 And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.

36 And ¹⁷He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they ¹⁸continued to proclaim it.

37 They were utterly astonished, saying, "He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Cross References

• 1. Mark 2:1; Mark 3:20; Mark 9:28
• 2. Matthew 15:15
• 3. Romans 14:1-12; Colossians 2:16
• 4. Luke 11:41; Acts 10:15; Acts 11:9
• 5. Matthew 15:18; Mark 7:23
• 6. Matthew 6:23; Matthew 20:15
• 7. Mark 7:24-30: {Matthew 15:21-28}
• 8. Matthew 11:21; Mark 7:31
• 9. Mark 7:31-37: {Matthew 15:29-31}
• 10. Matthew 11:21; Mark 7:24
• 11. Matthew 4:18
• 12. Matthew 4:25; Mark 5:20
• 13. Mark 5:23
• 14. Mark 8:23
• 15. Mark 8:23
• 16. Mark 8:12
• 17. Matthew 8:4
• 18. Mark 1:45

Footnotes

• [a]. Early mss do not contain this verse
• [b]. Lit "goes out into the latrine"
• [c]. I.e. acts of sexual immorality
• [d]. Lit "an evil eye"
• [e]. Or "arrogance"
• [f]. Two early mss add "and Sidon"
• [g]. Lit "and"
• [h]. Lit "Greek"
• [i]. Or "proper"
• [j]. Lit "word"
• [k]. Lit "thrown"
• [l]. Or "bond"
• [m]. Lit "was loosed"