12:1 At that · time Jesus went · through the grainfields on the Sabbath; · and his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and eat.
12:2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look, · your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”
12:3 But he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry,
12:4 how he entered the house of God and they ate the sacred bread, · which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but for the priests alone?
12:5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are not guilty?
12:6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
12:7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
12:9 Then he left that place and went into · their synagogue,
12:10 and there he saw a man with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so they might have a charge to bring against him.
12:11 But he said to them, “What man is there among you who has only one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
12:12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
12:13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your · hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, sound like the other.
12:14 Then the Pharisees went and plotted against him in order that they might put him to death.
12:15 · But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them all.
12:16 And he sternly warned them that they should not make him known
12:17 so that what was written by Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:
12:18 “Here is · my servant whom I have chosen, · my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. · I will put · my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
12:19 He will not quarrel, nor will he cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. ·
12:20 A shattered reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, until he brings justice to victory. ·
12:21 And in his name the nations will put their hope.”
12:22 Then a blind and mute demoniac was brought to him, and he healed him so that the mute could both speak and see.
12:23 And all the crowds were astonished and were saying, “Could this be the Son of David?”
12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This fellow does not cast out · demons except by · Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
12:25 But he knew · their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to ruin, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
12:26 So if · Satan casts out · Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? ·
12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, · by whom do · your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, · then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
12:29 Or how can someone enter the strong man’s house · and carry off · his belongings, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will ransack his · house.
12:30 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.
12:31 “For this reason I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven · people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
12:32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit · will not be forgiven, neither in this · age nor in the age to come.
12:33 “Either make the tree good and · its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and · its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit.
12:34 You offspring of snakes! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
12:35 The good man brings good things out of his good treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil treasure.
12:36 But I say to you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every careless word they speak. ·
12:37 For by · your words you will be justified, and by · your words you will be condemned.”
12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
12:39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
12:41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with · this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and look, something greater than Jonah is here!
12:42 The queen of the South 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!
12:43 “When · an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions in search of a resting place, but finds none.
12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to · my house from which I came.’ And when it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
12:45 Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there; and the last state of that person turns out to be worse than the first. So will it be for this evil generation as well.” ·
12:46 While he was still speaking to the people, · his mother and · his brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
12:47 And someone said to him, “Look, your · mother and your · brothers are standing outside, waiting to speak with you.”
12:48 But he answered, saying to the one who had told him, “Who is · my mother? And who are · my brothers?”
12:49 And stretching out · his hand toward · his disciples, he said, “Look, here are · my mother and · my brothers!
12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father · in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
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