7:1 Then came together unto him the Prushim, and certain of the Sofrim, which came from Yerushalayim.
7:2 And when they saw some of His Talmidim eat lechem with defiled, that is to say, with yadayim temeiot (unwashen hands), they found fault.
7:3 For the Prushim, and all the Yehudim, except they netilat yadayim (ritual wash hands) oft, eat not, observing the Masoret ha Zekenim (the Torah shebal peh, oral torah cf Gal 1:14 tradition of the Zekenim)
7:4 And [when they come] from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, [as] the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
7:5 Then the Prushim and Sofrim asked him, Why walk not thy Talmidim according to the *Masoret ha Zekenim, but eat lechem with yadayim temeiot?
7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Yeshayahu prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honoureth me with [their] lips, but their heart is far from Me.
7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.
7:8 For laying aside the commandment of Elohim, ye hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition.
7:10 For Mosheh said:
Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, [It is] Korban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; [he shall be free].
7:12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
7:13 Making the Dvar Elohim of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
7:14 And when he had called all the people [unto him], he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one [of you], and understand:
7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
7:16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
7:17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, His Talmidim asked him concerning the parable.
7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, [it] cannot defile him;
7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
7:24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tzor and Tzidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know [it]: but he could not be hid.
7:25 For a [certain] woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Surophoinikissa by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
7:27 But Yeshua (ישוע) said unto her:
Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's lechem, and to cast [it] unto the dogs.
7:28 And she answered and said unto Him:
Yes, Adon: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
7:29 And Yeshua (ישוע) said unto her:
For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
7:30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tzor and Tzidon, he came unto the Yam Galil, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
7:32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
7:33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers into his ears, and He spit, and touched His tongue;
7:34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
7:35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
7:36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published [it];
7:37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying:
He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Ephphatha - the Greek is the root word for epiphany and also form of a Syro-Chaldaic or Aramaic word, meaning "Be opened" It is one of the characteristics of Mark that he uses the very Aramaic words which fell from our Adon's lips. (See 3:17; 5:41; 7:11; 14:36; 15:34.)
TimHegg in one of His article Tradition explains that Yeshua spoke of the “traditions of the elders” by which He most likely meant “teachings of a particular rabbinic tradition” (such as of the House of Hillel or the House of Shammai), and He spoke of them in a very negative way. When judged by the Pharisees as unrighteous for not maintaining the traditions, Yeshua responds (in Mark 7:6ff) by first quoting Isaiah (29:13):