aAt that 1time Jesus
went
through
the grainfields
on the Sabbath
, and His disciples
became hungry
and began
to bpick
the heads
of grain and eat
.
But when the Pharisees saw
this, they said
to Him, "Look
, Your disciples
do
what
ais not lawful
to do
on a Sabbath
."
But He said to them, "Have you not read
what
David
did
when
he became hungry
, he and his companions
,
how he entered
the house
of God
, and athey ate
the 1consecrated
bread
, which
was not lawful
for him to eat
nor
for those
with him, but for the priests
alone
?
"Or have you not read
in the Law
, that on the Sabbath
the priests
in the temple
1break
the Sabbath
and are innocent
?
"But I say to you that something agreater
than the temple
is here
.
"But if you had known
what
this 1means
, ` aI DESIRE
2COMPASSION
, AND NOT A SACRIFICE
,' you would not have condemned
the innocent
.
"For athe Son of Man
is Lord
of the Sabbath
."
aDeparting from there
, He went
into their synagogue
.
And a man was there whose hand
was withered
. And they questioned
1Jesus, asking
, " aIs it lawful
to heal
on the Sabbath
?"--so
that they might accuse
Him.
And He said to them, " aWhat
man
1is there among
you who
2has
a sheep
, and if
it falls
into a pit
on the Sabbath
, will he not take
hold
of it and lift
it out?
" aHow much
more
valuable
then
is a man
than a sheep
! So
then
, it is lawful
to do
1good
on the Sabbath
."
Then He *said
to the man
, "Stretch
out your hand
!" aHe stretched
it out, and it was restored
to 1normal
, like
the other
.
But the Pharisees went
out and 1 aconspired
against
Him, as to how
they might destroy
Him.
But Jesus, 1aware
of this, withdrew
from there
. Many
followed
Him, and aHe healed
them all
,
and awarned them not to 1tell
who
He was.
This was to fulfill what
was spoken
through
Isaiah
the prophet
:
" aBEHOLD, MY 1SERVANT
WHOM
I 2HAVE CHOSEN
; bMY BELOVED
IN WHOM
MY SOUL
3is WELL-PLEASED
; cI WILL PUT
MY SPIRIT
UPON HIM, aAND HE SHALL PROCLAIM
4JUSTICE
TO THE 5GENTILES
.
" aHE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR
CRY
OUT; NOR
WILL ANYONE
HEAR
HIS VOICE
IN THE STREETS
.
" aA BATTERED REED
HE WILL NOT BREAK
OFF, AND A SMOLDERING
WICK
HE WILL NOT PUT
OUT, UNTIL
HE 1LEADS
2JUSTICE
TO VICTORY
.
" aAND IN HIS NAME THE 1GENTILES
WILL HOPE
."
aThen a bdemon-possessed
man who was blind
and mute
was brought
to 1Jesus, and He healed
him, so
that the mute
man
spoke
and saw
.
All the crowds
were amazed
, and were saying
, "This
man cannot
be the aSon
of David
, can he?"
But when the Pharisees heard
this, they said
, "This
man
acasts
out demons
only
by 1Beelzebul
the ruler
of the demons
."
aAnd bknowing their thoughts
Jesus said
to them, " 1Any
kingdom
divided
against
itself
is laid
waste
; and 1any
city
or
house
divided
against
itself
will not stand
.
"If aSatan
casts
out Satan
, he 1is divided
against
himself
; how
then
will his kingdom
stand
?
"If I aby 1Beelzebul
cast
out demons
, bby whom
do your sons
cast
them out? For this
reason
they will be your judges
.
"But aif I cast
out demons
by the Spirit
of God
, then
the kingdom
of God
has come
upon you.
"Or how
can
anyone
enter
the strong
man's
house
and carry
off
his property
, unless
he first
binds
the strong
man? And then
he will plunder
his house
.
" aHe who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather
with Me scatters
.
" aTherefore I say
to you, any
sin
and blasphemy
shall be forgiven
people
, but blasphemy
against the Spirit
shall not be forgiven
.
" aWhoever 1speaks
a word
against
the Son
of Man
, it shall be forgiven
him; but whoever
1speaks
against
the Holy
Spirit
, it shall not be forgiven
him, either
in bthis
age
or
in the age to come
.
"Either make
the tree
good
and its fruit
good
, or
make
the tree
bad
and its fruit
bad
; for athe tree
is known
by its fruit
.
" aYou brood of vipers
, how
can
you, being
evil
, speak
1what is good
? bFor the mouth
speaks
out of that which
fills
the heart
.
" aThe good man
brings
out of his good
treasure
1what is good
; and the evil
man
brings
out of his evil
treasure
2what is evil
.
"But I tell you that every
1careless
word
that people
2speak
, they shall give
an accounting
for it in athe day
of judgment
.
"For 1by your words you will be justified
, and 1by your words
you will be condemned
."
Then some
of the scribes
and Pharisees
said
to Him, "Teacher
, awe want
to see
a 1sign
from You."
But He answered and said
to them, " aAn evil
and adulterous
generation
craves
for a 1sign
; and yet no
1sign
will be given
to it but the 1sign
of Jonah
the prophet
;
for just as aJONAH
WAS THREE
DAYS
AND THREE
NIGHTS
IN THE BELLY
OF THE SEA
MONSTER
, so
will bthe Son
of Man
be cthree
days
and three
nights
in the heart
of the earth
.
" aThe men of Nineveh
will stand
up with this
generation
at the judgment
, and will condemn
it because
bthey repented
at the preaching
of Jonah
; and behold
, csomething greater
than Jonah
is here
.
" aThe Queen of the South
will rise
up with this
generation
at the judgment
and will condemn
it, because
she came
from the ends
of the earth
to hear
the wisdom
of Solomon
; and behold
, bsomething greater
than Solomon
is here
.
" aNow when
the unclean
spirit
goes
out of a man
, it passes
through
waterless
places
seeking
rest
, and does not find
it.
"Then it says
, `I will return
to my house
from which
I came
'; and when it comes
, it finds
it unoccupied
, swept
, and put
in order
.
"Then it goes
and takes
along
with it seven
other
spirits
more
wicked
than itself
, and they go
in and live
there
; and athe last
state of that man
becomes
worse
than the first
. That is the way
it will also
be with this
evil
generation
."
aWhile He was still speaking
to the crowds
, behold
, His bmother
and cbrothers
were standing
outside
, seeking
to speak
to Him.
Someone said
to Him, "Behold
, Your mother
and Your brothers
are standing
outside
seeking
to speak
to You." 1
But 1Jesus answered the one who was telling
Him and said
, "Who
is My mother
and who
are My brothers
?"
And stretching out His hand
toward
His disciples
, He said
, "Behold
My mother
and My brothers
!
"For whoever does
the will
of My Father
who is in heaven
, he is My brother
and sister
and mother
."