A House Divided Cannot Stand^(A)

^14 (B)And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, ^(C)“He casts out demons by ^[a]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

¹⁶ Others, testing Him, ^(D)sought from Him a sign from heaven. ^17 (E)But ^(F)He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I cast out demons ^(G)with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ^21 (H)When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²² But ^(I)when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his ^[b]spoils. ^23 (J)He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

An Unclean Spirit Returns^(K)

^24 (L)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and ^(M)the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Keeping the Word

²⁷ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ^(N)“Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

²⁸ But He said, ^(O)“More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Seeking a Sign^(P)

^29 (Q)And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a ^(R)sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah ^[c]the prophet. ³⁰ For as ^(S)Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. ^31 (T)The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a ^(U)greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for ^(V)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body^(W)

^33 (X)“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a ^(Y)basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. ^34 (Z)The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is ^[d]good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is ^[e]bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

²² For ^(A)Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, ^(B)to the Jews a ^[a]stumbling block and to the ^[b]Greeks ^(C)foolishness,

Do Not Sue the Brethren

6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the ^(A)saints? ² Do you not know that ^(B)the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ³ Do you not know that we shall ^(C)judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign^(A)

^38 (B)Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

³⁹ But He answered and said to them, “An evil and ^(C)adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ^40 (D)For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ^41 (E)The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and ^(F)condemn it, ^(G)because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, ^(A)that they may see your good works and ^(B)glorify your Father in heaven.

⁶ For it is the God ^(A)who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has ^(B)shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.