World English Bible · Under Rome
Mark 7
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Then the and some of the gathered together to him, having come from . Now when they saw some of his eating bread with defiled, that is unwashed, hands, they found fault. (For the and all the don't eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the . They don't eat when they come from the marketplace unless they bathe themselves, and there are many other things which they have received to hold to: washings of , pitchers, bronze vessels, and couches.) The and the asked him, "Why don't your walk according to the tradition of the , but eat their bread with unwashed hands?" He answered them, "Well did of you , as , 'This people honors me with their , but their is far from me. They me in , teaching as doctrines of men.' "For you set aside the of , and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and , and you do many other such things." He said to them, "Full well do you reject the of , that you may keep your tradition. For said, ' your and your mother;' and, 'He who speaks evil of or mother, let him be put to .' But you say, 'If a man tells his or his mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is ,"'" that is to say, given to , 12"then you no longer allow him to do anything for his or his mother, making void the word of by your tradition which you have handed down. You do many things like this." He called all to himself and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand. There is nothing from outside of the man that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. 16If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!" When he had entered into a house away from , his asked him about the . He said to them, "Are you also without ? Don't you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can't defile him, because it doesn't go into , but into his stomach, then into the latrine, making all foods clean?" He said, "That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the of men, proceed evil , adulteries, sexual , murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful , an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man." From there he arose and went away into the borders of and . He entered into a house and didn't want anyone to know it, but he couldn't escape notice. For a woman whose little daughter had an , having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a , a Syrophoenician by race. She begged him that he would cast the out of her daughter. But said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, . Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." He said to her, "For this saying, go your way. The has gone out of your daughter." She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the gone out. Again he departed from the borders of and , and came to through the middle of the region of Decapolis. They brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside from privately and put his fingers into his ears; and he spat and touched his . Looking up to , he sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!" Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his was released, and he spoke clearly. He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it. They were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!"
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.