Matthew 12
Complete Jewish Bible
12 One Shabbat during that time, Yeshua was walking through some wheat fields. His talmidim were hungry, so they began picking heads of grain and eating them. 2 On seeing this, the P’rushim said to him, “Look! Your talmidim are violating Shabbat!” 3 But he said to them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? 4 He entered the House of God and ate the Bread of the Presence!” — which was prohibited, both to him and to his companions; it is permitted only to the cohanim. 5 “Or haven’t you read in the Torah that on Shabbat the cohanim profane Shabbat and yet are blameless? 6 I tell you, there is in this place something greater than the Temple! 7 If you knew what ‘I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifice’[a] meant, you would not condemn the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat!”
9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue. 10 A man there had a shriveled hand. Looking for a reason to accuse him of something, they asked him, “Is healing permitted on Shabbat?” 11 But he answered, “If you have a sheep that falls in a pit on Shabbat, which of you won’t take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore, what is permitted on Shabbat is to do good.” 13 Then to the man he said, “Hold out your hand.” As he held it out, it became restored, as sound as the other one. 14 But the P’rushim went out and began plotting how they might do away with Yeshua. 15 Aware of this, he left that area.
Many people followed him; and he healed them all 16 but warned them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Yesha‘yahu the prophet,
18 “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom I am well pleased;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will announce justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not fight or shout,
no one will hear his voice in the streets;
20 he will not snap off a broken reed
or snuff out a smoldering wick
until he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In him the Gentiles will put their hope.”[b]
22 Then some people brought him a man controlled by demons who was blind and mute; and Yeshua healed him, so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowds were astounded and asked, “This couldn’t be the Son of David, could it?” 24 But when the P’rushim heard of it, they said, “It is only by Ba‘al-Zibbul” — the ruler of the demons — “that this man drives out demons.”
25 However, knowing what they were thinking, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not survive. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; so how can his kingdom survive? 27 Besides, if I drive out demons by Ba‘al-Zibbul, by whom do your people drive them out? So, they will be your judges! 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you!
29 “Or again, how can someone break into a strong man’s house and make off with his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? After that he can ransack his house.
30 “Those who are not with me are against me, and those who do not gather with me are scattering. 31 Because of this, I tell you that people will be forgiven any sin and blasphemy, but blaspheming the Ruach HaKodesh will not be forgiven. 32 One can say something against the Son of Man and be forgiven; but whoever keeps on speaking against the Ruach HaKodesh will never be forgiven, neither in the ‘olam hazeh nor in the ‘olam haba.
33 “If you make a tree good, its fruit will be good; and if you make a tree bad, its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 You snakes! How can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what overflows from the heart. 35 The good person brings forth good things from his store of good, and the evil person brings forth evil things from his store of evil. 36 Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken; 37 for by your own words you will be acquitted, and by your own words you will be condemned.”
38 At this some of the Torah-teachers said, “Rabbi, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” 39 He replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign? No! None will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Yonah. 40 For just as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-monster,[c] so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the depths of the earth. 41 The people of Ninveh will stand up at the Judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they turned from their sins to God when Yonah preached, but what is here now is greater than Yonah. 42 The Queen of the South will stand up at the Judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, but what is here now is greater than Shlomo.
43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry country seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says to itself, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house standing empty, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they come and live there — so that in the end, the person is worse off than he was before. This is how it will be for this wicked generation.”
46 He was still speaking to the crowd when his mother and brothers appeared outside, asking to talk with him. 47 [d] 48 But to the one who had informed him he replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his talmidim, he said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants, that person is my brother and sister and mother.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6
- Matthew 12:21 Isaiah 42:1–4
- Matthew 12:40 Jonah 2:1(1:17)
- Matthew 12:47 Some manuscripts include verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, asking to talk with you.”
Matthew 12
Darby Translation
12 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath through the cornfields; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears and to eat.
2 But the Pharisees, seeing [it], said to him, Behold, thy disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on sabbath.
3 But he said to them, Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him?
4 How he entered into the house of God, and ate the shewbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only?
5 Or have ye not read in the law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6 But I say unto you, that there is here what is greater than the temple.
7 But if ye had known what is: I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath.
9 And, going away from thence, he came into their synagogue.
10 And behold, there was a man having his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? that they might accuse him.
11 But he said to them, What man shall there be of you who has one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and raise [it] up?
12 How much better then is a man than a sheep! So that it is lawful to do well on the sabbath.
13 Then he says to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched [it] out, and it was restored sound as the other.
14 But the Pharisees, having gone out, took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.
15 But Jesus knowing [it], withdrew thence, and great crowds followed him; and he healed them all:
16 and charged them strictly that they should not make him publicly known:
17 that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through Esaias the prophet, saying,
18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew forth judgment to the nations.
19 He shall not strive or cry out, nor shall any one hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, until he bring forth judgment unto victory;
21 and on his name shall [the] nations hope.
22 Then was brought to him one possessed by a demon, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the dumb [man] spake and saw.
23 And all the crowds were amazed and said, Is this [man] the Son of David?
24 But the Pharisees, having heard [it], said, This [man] does not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub, prince of demons.
25 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not subsist.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom subsist?
27 And if *I* cast out demons by Beelzebub, your sons, by whom do they cast [them] out? For this reason *they* shall be your judges.
28 But if *I* by [the] Spirit of God cast out demons, then indeed the kingdom of God is come upon you.
29 Or how can any one enter into the house of the strong [man] and plunder his goods, unless first he bind the strong [man]? and then he will plunder his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters.
31 For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.
32 And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming [one].
33 Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt. For from the fruit the tree is known.
34 Offspring of vipers! how can ye speak good things, being wicked? For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good man out of the good treasure brings forth good things; and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings forth wicked things.
36 But I say unto you, that every idle word which men shall say, they shall render an account of it in judgment-day:
37 for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
38 Then answered him some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee.
39 But he, answering, said to them, A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it save the sign of Jonas the prophet.
40 For even as Jonas was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, thus shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
41 Ninevites shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, more than Jonas [is] 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 behold, more than Solomon [is] here.
43 But when the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and does not find [it].
44 Then he says, I will return to my house whence I came out; and having come, he finds [it] unoccupied, swept, and adorned.
45 Then he goes and takes with himself seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in, they dwell there; and the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. Thus shall it be to this wicked generation also.
46 But while he was yet speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him.
47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, seeking to speak to thee.
48 But he answering said to him that spoke to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?
49 And, stretching out his hand to his disciples, he said, Behold my mother and my brethren;
50 for whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in [the] heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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