Mark 7
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Mark chapter 7 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
1 patristic excerpt is attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine.
Mark 7
1Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.Καὶ συνάγονται πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καί τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐλθόντες ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων.
2Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with ceremonially unclean, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.καὶ ἰδόντες τινὰς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ κοιναῖς χερσί—τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἀνίπτοις—ἐσθίοντας ἄρτους ἐμέμψαντο.
3For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands with their fist, holding the tradition of the elders.οἱ γὰρ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας οὐκ ἐσθίουσι, κρατοῦντες τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων·
4And coming from the marketplace, unless they bathe, they do not eat. And there are many other things which they have received by tradition, like the washing of cups and pitchers, copper vessels and couches.καὶ ἀπὸ ἀγορᾶς ἐὰν μὴ βαπτίσωνται οὐκ ἐσθίουσι· καὶ ἄλλα πολλά ἐστιν ἃ παρέλαβον κρατεῖν, βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων καὶ ξεστῶν καὶ χαλκίων καὶ κλινῶν.
5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but they eat bread with unwashed hands?”ἔπειτα ἐπερωτῶσιν αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς, Διὰ τί οἱ μαθηταί σου οὐ περιπατοῦσι κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ἀλλὰ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν ἐσθίουσι τὸν ἄρτον;
6And answering He said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι Καλῶς προεφήτευσεν Ἡσαΐας περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν ὑποκριτῶν, ὡς γέγραπται, Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ.
7And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με, διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων.
8For having left the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other similar things you do.”ἀφέντες γὰρ τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρατεῖτε τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, βαπτισμοὺς ξεστῶν καὶ ποτηρίων, καὶ ἄλλα παρόμοια τοιαῦτα πολλὰ ποιεῖτε.
9And He said to them, “Well do you set aside the commandment of God, so that you may keep your tradition.Καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς, Καλῶς ἀθετεῖτε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἵνα τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν τηρήσητε.
10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.’Μωσῆς γὰρ εἶπε, Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου· καί, Ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω.
11But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or to his mother, “Whatever you might be profited by me is Corban” ’—(that is, a gift),ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε, Ἐὰν εἴπῃ ἄνθρωπος τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί, Κορβᾶν—ὅ ἐστι, Δῶρον—ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς,
12then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother,καὶ οὐκέτι ἀφίετε αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ποιῆσαι τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ἢ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ,
13thus nullifying the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down. And many similar things you do.”ἀκυροῦντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ παραδόσει ὑμῶν ᾗ παρεδώκατε· καὶ παρόμοια τοιαῦτα πολλὰ ποιεῖτε.
14And having summoned all the crowd, He said to them, “Hear Me, all of you and understand:Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς, Ἀκούετέ μου πάντες καὶ συνίετε.
15There is nothing from outside a man, that entering into him, can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.οὐδέν ἐστιν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς αὐτὸν ὃ δύναται αὐτὸν κοινῶσαι, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκπορευόμενα ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ἐκεῖνά ἐστι τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
16If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”εἴ τις ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
17When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples were asking Him about the parable.Καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς οἶκον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου, ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς παραβολῆς.
18So He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Do you not understand that everything entering a man from outside cannot defile him,καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε; οὐ νοεῖτε ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἔξωθεν εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐ δύναται αὐτὸν κοινῶσαι;
19because it does not enter into his heart but into his stomach, and passes into the latrine, thus purifying all foods?”ὅτι οὐκ εἰσπορεύεται αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκπορεύεται, καθαρίζον πάντα τὰ βρώματα.
20And He said, “That which comes out of a man, that defiles a man.ἔλεγε δὲ ὅτι Τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκπορευόμενον, ἐκεῖνο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
21For from within, out of the heart of men, come forth evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,ἔσωθεν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοὶ ἐκπορεύονται, μοιχεῖαι, πορνεῖαι, φόνοι,
22thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness.κλοπαί, πλεονεξίαι, πονηρίαι, δόλος, ἀσέλγεια, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός, βλασφημία, ὑπερηφανία, ἀφροσύνη·
23All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”πάντα ταῦτα τὰ πονηρὰ ἔσωθεν ἐκπορεύεται καὶ κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
24From there He arose and He went away into the region of Tyre and Sidon. And having entered into a house, He wanted no one to know it, but He was not able to escape notice.Καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἀναστὰς ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὰ μεθόρια Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος. καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς οἰκίαν οὐδένα ἤθελε γνῶναι, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθη λαθεῖν.
25For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.ἀκούσασα γὰρ γυνὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἧς εἶχε τὸ θυγάτριον αὐτῆς πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον, ἐλθοῦσα προσέπεσε πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ.
26Now the woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by race, and she was asking Him to cast the demon out from her daughter.ἦν δὲ ἡ γυνὴ Ἑλληνίς, Συραφοινίκισσα τῷ γένει· καὶ ἠρώτα αὐτὸν ἵνα τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐκβάλῃ ἐκ τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτῆς.
27But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.”ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Ἄφες πρῶτον χορτασθῆναι τὰ τέκνα· οὐ γὰρ καλόν ἐστι λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις.
28And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs underneath the table eat from the crumbs of the children.”ἡ δὲ ἀπεκρίθη καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ναί, Κύριε, καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ὑποκάτω τῆς τραπέζης ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν παιδίων.
29Then He said to her, “Because of this saying, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Διὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον ὕπαγε· ἐξελήλυθε τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐκ τῆς θυγατρός σου.
30And going away to her house, she found the demon having gone out, and her daughter having been placed on the bed.καὶ ἀπελθοῦσα εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτῆς εὗρε τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐξεληλυθὸς καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα βεβλημένην ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης.
31Again, coming out from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He went to the Sea of Galilee, in the midst of the region of Decapolis.Καὶ πάλιν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῶν ὁρίων Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος ἦλθε πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὁρίων Δεκαπόλεως.
32Then they brought to Him a deaf man impeded in speech, and they begged Him that He would lay His hand upon him.καὶ φέρουσιν αὐτῷ κωφὸν μογγιλάλον καὶ παρακαλοῦσιν αὐτὸν ἵνα ἐπιθῇ αὐτῷ τὴν χεῖρα.
33And when he had taken him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers in his ears, and having spit, He touched his tongue.καὶ ἀπολαβόμενος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου κατ᾽ ἰδίαν ἔβαλε τοὺς δακτύλους αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πτύσας ἥψατο τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ,
34Then looking up into heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐστέναξε καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ἐφφαθά, ὅ ἐστι, Διανοίχθητι.
35Immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he was speaking correctly.καὶ εὐθέως διηνοίχθησαν αὐτοῦ αἱ ἀκοαί, καὶ ἐλύθη ὁ δεσμὸς τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὀρθῶς.
36And He ordered them that they should tell no one; but the more He ordered them, the more exceedingly they would proclaim it.καὶ διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ εἴπωσιν· ὅσον δὲ αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς διεστέλλετο, μᾶλλον περισσότερον ἐκήρυσσον.
37And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”καὶ ὑπερπερισσῶς ἐξεπλήσσοντο λέγοντες, Καλῶς πάντα πεποίηκε· καὶ τοὺς κωφοὺς ποιεῖ ἀκούειν καὶ τοὺς ἀλάλους λαλεῖν.
The Fathers on Mark 7
Saint Augustine comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Mark 7:37Open Mark 7 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint AugustineMark continues thus: “And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto Him: and He was nigh unto the sea;” and so on, down to where we read, “And the apostles gathered themselves...
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