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 <div class="label">7</div><div class="s1">That Which Defiles</div><div class="p"> 1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.#7:4 Some early manuscripts pitchers, kettles and dining couches)</div><div class="p"> 5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, &#8220;Why don&#8217;t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6He replied, &#8220;Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:</div><div class="q1"> &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;These people honor me with their lips,</div><div class="q2"> but their hearts are far from me.</div><div class="q1"> 7 They worship me in vain;</div><div class="q2"> their teachings are merely human rules.&#8217; # 7:7 
 Isaiah 29:13
 </div><div class="m"> 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9And he continued, &#8220;You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe#7:9 Some manuscripts set up your own traditions! 10For Moses said, &#8216;Honor your father and mother,&#8217;#7:10 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 and, &#8216;Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.&#8217;#7:10 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 11But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)&#8212; 12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, &#8220;Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.&#8221; [16]#7:16 Some manuscripts include here the words of 4:23.</div><div class="p"> 17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18&#8220;Are you so dull?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19For it doesn&#8217;t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.&#8221; (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)</div><div class="p"> 20He went on: &#8220;What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21For it is from within, out of a person&#8217;s heart, that evil thoughts come&#8212;sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and defile a person.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman&#8217;s Faith</div><div class="p"> 24Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.#7:24 Many early manuscripts Tyre and Sidon He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.</div><div class="p"> 27 &#8220;First let the children eat all they want,&#8221; he told her, &#8220;for it is not right to take the children&#8217;s bread and toss it to the dogs.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;Lord,&#8221; she replied, &#8220;even the dogs under the table eat the children&#8217;s crumbs.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Then he told her, &#8220;For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man</div><div class="p"> 31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.#7:31 That is, the Ten Cities 32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.</div><div class="p"> 33After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man&#8217;s ears. Then he spit and touched the man&#8217;s tongue. 34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, &#8220;Ephphatha!&#8221; (which means &#8220;Be opened!&#8221;). 35At this, the man&#8217;s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.</div><div class="p"> 36Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37People were overwhelmed with amazement. &#8220;He has done everything well,&#8221; they said. &#8220;He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">27</div><div class="s1">David Among the Philistines</div><div class="p"> 1But David thought to himself, &#8220;One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. 3David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.</div><div class="p"> 5Then David said to Achish, &#8220;If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.</div><div class="p"> 8Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) 9Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.</div><div class="p"> 10When Achish asked, &#8220;Where did you go raiding today?&#8221; David would say, &#8220;Against the Negev of Judah&#8221; or &#8220;Against the Negev of Jerahmeel&#8221; or &#8220;Against the Negev of the Kenites.&#8221; 11He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, &#8220;They might inform on us and say, &#8216;This is what David did.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. 12Achish trusted David and said to himself, &#8220;He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">28</div><div class="p"> 1In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, &#8220;You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2David said, &#8220;Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Achish replied, &#8220;Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Saul and the Medium at Endor</div><div class="p"> 3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.</div><div class="p"> 4The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7Saul then said to his attendants, &#8220;Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;There is one in Endor,&#8221; they said.</div><div class="p"> 8So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. &#8220;Consult a spirit for me,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and bring up for me the one I name.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9But the woman said to him, &#8220;Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Saul swore to her by the Lord, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then the woman asked, &#8220;Whom shall I bring up for you?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Bring up Samuel,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, &#8220;Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13The king said to her, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid. What do you see?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The woman said, &#8220;I see a ghostly figure#28:13 Or see spirits; or see gods coming up out of the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;What does he look like?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;An old man wearing a robe is coming up,&#8221; she said.</div><div class="p">Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.</div><div class="p"> 15Samuel said to Saul, &#8220;Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I am in great distress,&#8221; Saul said. &#8220;The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Samuel said, &#8220;Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 17The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors&#8212;to David. 18Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel&#8217;s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.</div><div class="p"> 21When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, &#8220;Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23He refused and said, &#8220;I will not eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.</div><div class="p"> 24The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.</div>
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