12:1 ①At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.
▷ ①Or On that occasion
12:2 Now 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 became hungry, he and his companions—
12:4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the ①consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
▷ ①Lit loaves of presentation
12:5 Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple ①violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent?
▷ ①Or profane
12:6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
12:7 But if you had known what this ①means: ‘I DESIRE ②COMPASSION, ③RATHER THAN SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned ④the innocent.
▷ ①Lit is ②Or mercy ③Lit and not ④Plural in the Gr
12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
12:9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue.
12:10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned ①Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might bring charges against Him.
▷ ①Lit Him
12:11 But He said to them, “What 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?
▷ ①Lit will be from you ②Lit will have
12:12 How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do ①good on the Sabbath.”
▷ ①Lit well
12:13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to ①normal, like the other.
▷ ①Lit health
12:14 But the Pharisees went out and ①conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
▷ ①Lit took counsel
12:15 But Jesus, ①aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all,
▷ ①Lit knowing
12:16 and warned them not to ①tell who He was.
▷ ①Lit make Him known
12:17 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:
12:18 “BEHOLD, MY ①SERVANT WHOM I ②HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL ③DELIGHTS;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE WILL PROCLAIM ④JUSTICE TO THE ⑤GENTILES.
▷ ①Lit Child ②Lit chose ③Or took pleasure ④Or judgment ⑤Or nations
12:19 HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
12:20 A BENT REED HE WILL NOT BREAK off,
AND A DIMLY BURNING WICK HE WILL NOT EXTINGUISH,
UNTIL HE ①LEADS ②JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
▷ ①Or brings forth ②Or judgment
12:21 AND IN HIS NAME THE ①GENTILES WILL HOPE.”
▷ ①Or nations
12:22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to ①Jesus, and He healed him so that the man who was unable to speak talked and ②could see.
▷ ①Lit Him ②Lit saw
12:23 And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?”
12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by ①Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
▷ ①Or Beezebul; meaning uncertain, perhaps lord prince, referring to Satan
12:25 And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
12:26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he ①has become divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
▷ ①Lit was
12:27 And if by ①Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges.
▷ ①See note v 24
12:28 But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
12:29 Or, how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder 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 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
12:32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
12:33 “Either ①assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or ②assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
▷ ①Lit make ②Lit make
12:34 You ①offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart.
▷ ①Or brood
12:35 The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things.
12:36 But I tell you that for every ①careless word that people ②speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment.
▷ ①Or useless ②Lit will speak
12:37 For ①by your words you will be justified, and ②by your words you will be condemned.”
▷ ①Or in accordance with ②Or in accordance with
12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a ①sign from You.”
▷ ①I.e., confirming miracle
12:39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a ①sign; and so no ②sign will be given to it except the ③sign of Jonah the prophet;
▷ ①I.e., confirming miracle ②I.e., confirming miracle ③I.e., confirming miracle
12:40 for just as JONAH WAS IN THE STOMACH OF THE SEA MONSTER 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 with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
12:42 The 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, something greater than Solomon is here.
12:43 “Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.
12:44 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.
12:45 Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
12:46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.
12:47 ①Someone said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”]
▷ ①This verse is not found in early mss
12:48 But ①Jesus replied to the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”
▷ ①Lit He
12:49 And extending His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold: My mother and My brothers!
12:50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”