¹ One day the Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus.

² They had noticed that some of his disciples ate their food with their hands ‘defiled,’ by which they meant unwashed.

³ (For the Pharisees, and indeed all strict Jews, will not eat without first scrupulously washing their hands, holding in this to the traditions of their ancestors.

⁴ When they come from market, they will not eat without first sprinkling themselves; and there are many other customs which they have inherited and hold to, such as the ceremonial washing of cups, and jugs, and copper pans).

⁵ So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Jesus this question — “How is it that your disciples do not follow the traditions of our ancestors, but eat their food with defiled hands?”

⁶ His answer was: “It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you hypocrites in the words — ‘This is a people who honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far removed from me;

⁷ but vainly do they worship me, For they teach but human precepts.’

⁸ You neglect God’s commandments and hold to human traditions.

⁹ Wisely do you set aside God’s commandments,”he exclaimed, “to keep your own traditions!

¹⁰ For while Moses said ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Let anyone who abuses their father or mother suffer death,’

¹¹ you say ‘If a person says to their father or mother “Whatever of mine might have been of service to you is Korban”’(which means ‘Given to God’) —

¹² why, then you do not allow them to do anything further for their father or mother!

¹³ In this way you nullify the words of God by your traditions, which you hand down; and you do many similar things.”

¹⁴ Then Jesus called the people to him again, and said: “Listen to me, all of you, and mark my words.

¹⁵ There is nothing external to a person, which by going into them can ‘defile’ them; but the things that come out of a person are the things that defile them.”

¹⁷ When Jesus went indoors, away from the crowd, his disciples began questioning him about this saying.

¹⁸ “What, do even you understand so little?”exclaimed Jesus. “Do not you see that there is nothing external to a person, which by going into a person, can ‘defile’ them,

¹⁹ because it does not pass into his heart, but into his stomach, and is afterwards got rid of? — in saying this Jesus pronounced all food ‘clean.’

²⁰ “It is what comes out from a person,”he added, “that defiles them,

²¹ for it is from within, out of the hearts of people, that there come evil thoughts — sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,

²² greed, wickedness, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, haughtiness, folly;

²³ all these wicked things come from within, and do defile a person.”

²⁴ On leaving that place, Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon. He went into a house, and did not wish anyone to know it, but could not escape notice.

²⁵ For a woman, whose little daughter had a foul spirit in her, heard of him immediately, and came and threw herself at his feet —

²⁶ the woman was a foreigner, from Syrian Phoenicia — and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ “Let the children be satisfied first,”answered Jesus. “For it is not fair to take the children’s food, and throw it to dogs.”

²⁸ “Yes, Master,” she replied; “even the dogs under the table do feed on the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ “For saying that,”he answered, “you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”

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

³¹ On returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went, by way of Sidon, to the Sea of Galilee, across the district of the Ten Towns.

³² Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and almost dumb, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

³³ Jesus took him aside from the crowd quietly, put his fingers into the man’s ears, and touched his tongue with saliva.

³⁴ Then, looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to the man: “Ephphatha!”which means ‘Be opened.’

³⁵ The man’s ears were opened, the string of his tongue was freed, and he began to talk plainly.

³⁶ Jesus insisted on their not telling anyone; but the more he insisted, the more perseveringly they made it known,

³⁷ and a profound impression was made on the people. “He has done everything well!” they exclaimed. “He makes even the deaf hear and the dumb speak!”