Matthew 12
12
Lord of the Sabbath
1At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath.#Mk 2:23–28; Lk 6:1–5 His disciples#Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful#Mt 12:10; Lk 13:14; 14:3; Jn 5:10; 7:23; 9:16 to do on the Sabbath.”
3He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: 4how he entered the house of God, and they ate#12:4 Other mss read he ate the bread of the Presence — which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?#Ex 25:30; Lv 24:5–9; 1Sm 21:6 5Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?#Nm 28:9–10; 1Ch 9:32; Jn 7:22–23 6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.#2Ch 6:18; Mal 3:1; Mt 12:41–42 7If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice,#12:7 Hs 6:6#Hs 6:6; Mc 6:8; Mt 9:13 you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”#Mt 8:20; 9:6; 12:32,40
The Man with the Shriveled Hand
9Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue.#Mk 3:1–6; Lk 6:6–11 10There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” #Mt 12:2; Lk 13:14; 14:3; Jn 9:16
11He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?#Ex 23:4–5; Dt 22:4; Lk 14:5 12A person is worth far more than a sheep; #Mt 6:26; 10:31 so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”
13Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored,#1Kg 13:4; Mt 8:3; Ac 28:8 as good as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him.#Mt 26:4; 27:1; Mk 3:6; Lk 6:11; Jn 10:39; 11:53
The Servant of the Lord
15Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds#12:15 Other mss read Many followed him, and he healed them all.#Mt 4:23; 10:23; 19:2; Mk 3:7 16He warned them not to make him known,#Mt 8:4; 9:30 17so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations. #
Mt 3:17; 17:5; Lk 4:18; Jn 3:34
19 He will not argue or shout,
and no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed,
and he will not put out a smoldering wick,
until he has led justice to victory. # 12:20 Or until he has successfully put forth justice
21 The nations will put their hope in his name. # 12:18–21 Is 42:1–4 #
Is 42:1–4; Jn 10:25
A House Divided
22Then a demon-possessed man#Lk 11:14–15 who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man#12:22 Lit mute could both speak and see.#Mt 4:24; 9:32–34 23All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” #2Ch 1:1; Mt 1:1; Rm 1:3
24When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”#Mt 9:34; 10:25; Mk 3:22
25Knowing their thoughts,#Mk 3:23–27; Lk 11:17–22 he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26If Satan#Mt 4:1,10; 13:19; Ac 13:10 drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.#2Kg 2:7; Ac 19:13 28If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.#Lk 17:21; 1Jn 3:8 29How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up#Is 49:24; 53:12 the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 30Anyone who is not with me is against me,#Mk 9:40; Lk 9:50; 11:23 and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. 31Therefore,#Mk 3:28–30; Lk 12:10 I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy,#Heb 6:4–6; 10:26; 1Jn 5:16 but the blasphemy against#12:31 Or of the Spirit will not be forgiven.#12:31 Other mss add people 32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man,#Mt 11:19; Mk 2:10; Jn 7:12; 9:24 it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.#Mk 10:30; Lk 12:10; 20:34–35; Eph 1:21; Ti 2:12; Heb 6:5
A Tree and Its Fruit
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad # 12:33 Or decayed; lit rotten and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.#Mt 7:18–19,23; Lk 6:43–44; Jn 15:4–7 34Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow#1Sm 24:13; Mt 3:7; 23:33; Lk 6:45; Eph 4:29 of the heart. 35A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.#Mt 13:52; Col 4:6 36I tell you that on the day of judgment#Mt 12:41; Jn 5:29; 1Jn 4:17 people will have to account#Lk 16:2; Ac 19:40; Rm 14:12; Heb 13:17; 1Pt 4:5 for every careless#12:36 Lit worthless word they speak.#12:36 Lit will speak 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”#Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11–12; Lk 11:16; Jn 2:18; 6:30; 1Co 1:22
39He answered them,#Mk 8:11–12; Lk 11:29–32 “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.#Is 57:3; Mt 16:4; Mk 8:38 40For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish#12:40 Or sea creature; Jnh 1:17#Jnh 1:17 three days and three nights,#Jnh 1:17 so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it,#Jr 3:11; Ezk 16:51; Rm 2:27 because they repented at Jonah’s preaching; and look — something greater than Jonah is here.#Jnh 1:2; 3:5 42The queen of the south#1Kg 10:1; 2Ch 9:1 will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look — something greater than Solomon is here.
An Unclean Spirit’s Return
43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any. #
Lk 11:24–26
44Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.#Heb 6:4; 2Pt 2:20 That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”
True Relationships
46While he#Mk 3:31–35; Lk 8:19–21 was still speaking with the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him.#Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3; Jn 2:12; Ac 1:14; 1Co 9:5; Gl 1:19 47Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”#12:47 Other mss omit this v.
48He replied to the one who was speaking to him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49Stretching out his hand toward his disciples,#Mt 10:42; 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1 he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”#Mt 6:1; 7:21; Jn 15:14; Heb 2:11
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Matthew 12: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Matthew 12
12
1At that time Jesus went on the sabbath through the cornfields; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears and to eat. 2But the Pharisees, seeing it, said to him, Behold, thy disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on sabbath. 3But he said to them, Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him? 4How he entered into the house of God, and ate the shewbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only? 5Or have ye not read in the law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6But I say unto you, that there is here what is greater than the temple. 7But if ye had known what is: I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath. 9And, going away from thence, he came into their synagogue. 10And behold, there was a man having his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? that they might accuse him. 11But he said to them, What man shall there be of you who has one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and raise it up? 12How much better then is a man than a sheep! So that it is lawful to do well on the sabbath. 13Then he says to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched it out, and it was restored sound as the other.
14But the Pharisees, having gone out, took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. 15But Jesus knowing it, withdrew thence, and great crowds followed him; and he healed them all: 16and charged them strictly that they should not make him publicly known: 17that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through Esaias the prophet, saying, 18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew forth judgment to the nations. 19He shall not strive or cry out, nor shall any one hear his voice in the streets; 20a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, until he bring forth judgment unto victory; 21and on his name shall the nations hope.
22Then was brought to him one possessed by a demon, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spake and saw. 23And all the crowds were amazed and said, Is this man the Son of David? 24But the Pharisees, having heard it, said, This man does not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub, prince of demons. 25But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not subsist. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom subsist? 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, your sons, by whom do they cast them out? For this reason they shall be your judges. 28But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then indeed the kingdom of God is come upon you. 29Or how can any one enter into the house of the strong man and plunder his goods, unless first he bind the strong man? and then he will plunder his house. 30He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters. 31For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. 32And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one. 33Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt. For from the fruit the tree is known. 34Offspring of vipers! how can ye speak good things, being wicked? For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man out of the good treasure brings forth good things; and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings forth wicked things. 36But I say unto you, that every idle word which men shall say, they shall render an account of it in judgment-day: 37for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
38Then answered him some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee. 39But he, answering, said to them, A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it save the sign of Jonas the prophet. 40For even as Jonas was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, thus shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41Ninevites shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, more than Jonas is here. 42A queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, more than Solomon is here. 43But when the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and does not find it. 44Then he says, I will return to my house whence I came out; and having come, he finds it unoccupied, swept, and adorned. 45Then he goes and takes with himself seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in, they dwell there; and the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. Thus shall it be to this wicked generation also.
46But while he was yet speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him. 47Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, seeking to speak to thee. 48But he answering said to him that spoke to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren? 49And, stretching out his hand to his disciples, he said, Behold my mother and my brethren; 50for whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.