Matthew 12
12
1At that time did Jesus go on the sabbaths through the corn, and his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears, and to eat,
2and the Pharisees having seen, said to him, ‘Lo, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on a sabbath.’
3And he said to them, ‘Did ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, himself and those with him —
4how he went into the house of God, and the loaves of the presentation did eat, which it is not lawful to him to eat, nor to those with him, except to the priests alone?
5‘Or did ye not read in the Law, that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple do profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6and I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here;
7and if ye had known what is: Kindness I will, and not sacrifice — ye had not condemned the blameless,
8for the son of man is lord even of the sabbath.’
9And having departed thence, he went to their synagogue,
10and lo, there was a man having the hand withered, and they questioned him, saying, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the sabbaths?’ that they might accuse him.
11And he said to them, ‘What man shall be of you, who shall have one sheep, and if this may fall on the sabbaths into a ditch, will not lay hold on it and raise [it]?
12How much better, therefore, is a man than a sheep? — so that it is lawful on the sabbaths to do good.’
13Then saith he to the man, ‘Stretch forth thy hand,’ and he stretched [it] forth, and it was restored whole as the other.
14And the Pharisees having gone forth, held a consultation against him, how they might destroy him,
15and Jesus having known, withdrew thence, and there followed him great multitudes, and he healed them all,
16and did charge them that they might not make him manifest,
17that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
18‘Lo, My servant, whom I did choose, My beloved, in whom My soul did delight, I will put My Spirit upon him, and judgment to the nations he shall declare,
19he shall not strive nor cry, nor shall any hear in the broad places his voice,
20a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, till he may put forth judgment to victory,
21and in his name shall nations hope.’
22Then was brought to him a demoniac, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, ‘Is this the Son of David?’
24but the Pharisees having heard, said, ‘This one doth not cast out demons, except by Beelzeboul, ruler of the demons.’
25And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, ‘Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and no city or house having been divided against itself, doth stand,
26and if the Adversary doth cast out the Adversary, against himself he was divided, how then doth his kingdom stand?
27‘And if I, by Beelzeboul, do cast out the demons, your sons — by whom do they cast out? because of this they — they shall be your judges.
28‘But if I, by the Spirit of God, do cast out the demons, then come already unto you did the reign of God.
29‘Or how is one able to go into the house of the strong man, and to plunder his goods, if first he may not bind the strong man? and then his house he will plunder.
30‘He who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me, doth scatter.
31Because of this I say to you, all sin and evil speaking shall be forgiven to men, but the evil speaking of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.
32And whoever may speak a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven to him, but whoever may speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is coming.
33‘Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad, for from the fruit is the tree known.
34‘Brood of vipers! how are ye able to speak good things — being evil? for out of the abundance of the heart doth the mouth speak.
35The good man out of the good treasure of the heart doth put forth the good things, and the evil man out of the evil treasure doth put forth evil things.
36‘And I say to you, that every idle word that men may speak, they shall give for it a reckoning in a day of judgment;
37for from thy words thou shalt be declared righteous, and from thy words thou shalt be declared unrighteous.’
38Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, ‘Teacher, we will to see a sign from thee.’
39And he answering said to them, ‘A generation, evil and adulterous, doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
40for, as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
41‘Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for they reformed at the proclamation of Jonah, and lo, a greater than Jonah here!
42‘A 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 lo, a greater than Solomon here!
43‘And, when the unclean spirit may go forth from the man, it doth walk through dry places seeking rest, and doth not find;
44then it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth; and having come, it findeth [it] unoccupied, swept, and adorned:
45then doth it go, and take with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having gone in they dwell there, and the last of that man doth become worse than the first; so shall it be also to this evil generation.’
46And while he was yet speaking to the multitudes, lo, his mother and brethren had stood without, seeking to speak to him,
47and one said to him, ‘Lo, thy mother and thy brethren do stand without, seeking to speak to thee.’
48And he answering said to him who spake to him, ‘Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?’
49And having stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Lo, my mother and my brethren!
50for whoever may do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.’
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Matthew 12: YLT98
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Matthew 12
12
The Lord of the Sabbath
(1 Samuel 21:1–7; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5)
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
3Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread,#12:4 Or the Bread of the Presence which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.
5Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
7If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’#12:7 Hosea 6:6 you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
(Mark 3:1–6; Luke 6:6–11)
9Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue, 10and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
God’s Chosen Servant
(Isaiah 42:1–9)
15Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all, 16warning them not to make Him known. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18“Here is My Servant,
whom I have chosen,
My beloved,
in whom My soul delights.
I will put My Spirit on Him,
and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
19He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear His voice in the streets.
20A bruised reed He will not break,
and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish,
till He leads justice to victory.
21In His name the nations will put their hope.”#12:21 Isaiah 42:1–4 (see also LXX)
A House Divided
(Mark 3:20–27; Luke 11:14–23)
22Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see. 23The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul,#12:24 WH Beezeboul; Vulgate Beelzebub; also in verse 27 the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
25Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
30He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
The Unpardonable Sin
(Mark 3:28–30)
31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.
Good and Bad Fruit
(Luke 6:43–45)
33Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. 36But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
(Jonah 3:1–10; Luke 11:29–32)
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.
An Unclean Spirit Returns
(Luke 11:24–26)
43When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there; and the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
(Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21)
46While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. 47Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”#12:47 WH does not include verse 47.
48But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” 49Pointing to His disciples, 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.”
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