Matthew 12
New King James Version
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(A)
12 At that time (B)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to (C)pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read (D)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate (E)the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, (F)but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the (G)law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple [a]profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is (H)One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, (I)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord [b]even of the Sabbath.”
Healing on the Sabbath(J)
9 (K)Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, (L)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.
11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then (M)the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Behold, My Servant
15 But when Jesus knew it, (N)He withdrew from there. (O)And great [c]multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He (P)warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
18 “Behold!(Q) My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved (R)in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”
A House Divided Cannot Stand(S)
22 (T)Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the [d]blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the (U)Son of David?”
24 (V)Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by [e]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
25 But Jesus (W)knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, (X)surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 (Y)Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
The Unpardonable Sin(Z)
31 “Therefore I say to you, (AA)every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, (AB)but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who (AC)speaks a word against the Son of Man, (AD)it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Known by Its Fruit(AE)
33 “Either make the tree good and (AF)its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 (AG)Brood[f] of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? (AH)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure [g]of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign(AI)
38 (AJ)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 (AK)adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 (AL)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 (AM)The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and (AN)condemn it, (AO)because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 (AP)The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
An Unclean Spirit Returns(AQ)
43 (AR)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, (AS)he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; (AT)and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him(AU)
46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, (AV)behold, His mother and (AW)brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, (AX)Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”
48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My (AY)brothers! 50 For (AZ)whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 12:5 desecrate
- Matthew 12:8 NU, M omit even
- Matthew 12:15 NU brackets multitudes as disputed.
- Matthew 12:22 NU omits blind and
- Matthew 12:24 NU, M Beelzebul, a Philistine deity
- Matthew 12:34 Offspring
- Matthew 12:35 NU, M omit of his heart
Mattityahu 12
Orthodox Jewish Bible
12 At that time Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach went on Shabbos through the grainfields. And his talmidim were hungry and began to pick the heads of wheat and to eat them.
2 But the Perushim, seeing this, said to Moshiach: Hinei! Your talmidim are doing what is asur on Shabbos!
3 But Moshiach said to them, Have you not read what Dovid HaMelech did when he and those with him were hungry,
4 how he entered into the Beis Hashem and ate the Lechem HaPanim (the Bread of the Presence), which was not mutar (permissible) for him to eat nor the ones with him, but only the kohanim?
5 Or have you not read in the Torah that on Shabbos the kohanim in the Beis Hamikdash commit Chillul HaYom HaShabbos (desecration of the Sabbath Day) and yet are blameless? [BAMIDBAR 28:9-10]
6 But I say to you that something greater than the Beis Hamikdash is here.
7 But if you’d had daas what this means, CHESED CHAFATZTI VLO ZEVACH (I desire mercy and not sacrifice HOSHEA 6:6), you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 For the Ben HaAdam (Moshiach) is Adon HaShabbos.
9 And having gone from there, he went into their shul.
10 And hinei! There was a man with a withered hand. And they questioned Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, asking, Is it mutar (permissible) to bring refuah (healing) on Shabbos? They did this in order to bring accusation against him.
11 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, What man will there be among you, who owns a keves (lamb), and if it falls into a pit on Shabbos, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
12 Therefore, how much more valuable is a man than a keves. For this reason, it is mutar (permissible) on Shabbos to do HaTov.
13 Then Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to the man, Stretch out your hand. And the man stretched out his hand. And it was restored to health, as sound as the other hand.
14 But the Perushim went out and took counsel against Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach so that they might destroy him.
15 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, having da’as of this, departed from there. And many multitudes followed Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, and he brought refuah to them all.
16 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach warned them that they should not make him manifest.
17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Yeshayah HaNavi, saying,
18 HEN AVDI ETMACH BO, BECHIRI RATZTAH NAFSHI, NATATI RUCHI ALAV, MISHPAT LAGOYIM YOTZI (Here is my Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom my Soul delights, I will put my Spirit on him, he will bring Justice to the Nations, YESHAYAH 42:1)
19 LO YITZAK VLO YISSAH VLO YASHMIA BACHUTZ KOLO (He will not shout nor cry out nor raise the sound of his voice in the street.)
20 KANEH RATZUTZ LO YISHBOR UFISHTAH CHEHAH LO YECHABENAH LE-EMET YOTZI MISHPAT (A bruised reed he will not break nor a smoldering wick will he snuff out) until Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach leads mishpat (justice) to victory.
21 And in his Name, HAGOYIM will put their tikvah (hope) [YESHAYAH 42:1-4; YESHAYAH 11:10 TARGUM HA-SHIVIM]
22 Then a man, blind and mute, who was possessed by shedim, was brought to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, and he brought refuah to him, so that the mute man was able to speak and to see.
23 And all the multitudes were amazed and they were saying, Surely this is not the Ben Dovid [Moshiach], is he?
24 But, having heard this, the Perushim said, This one does not cast out shedim except by Baal-zibbul, the Sar HaShedim (the Prince of Demons).
25 But having daas of their thoughts, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Every malchut that is divided against itself is made desolate, and every ir (city) and bais (house) that is divided against itself will not stand.
26 And if Hasatan casts out Hasatan, he is divided against himself. How, therefore, will the Malchut Hasatan stand?
27 And if by Baal-zibbul I cast out the shedim, by whom do your banim (sons) cast them out? Therefore, they will be your shofetim (judges).
28 But if by the Ruach Hakodesh I [Moshiach] cast out the shedim, then upon you the Malchut Hashem has arrived.
29 Or how is someone able to enter the Bayit HaGibbor and confiscate his furnishings unless he binds the Gibbor first. Then he will plunder the Bayit HaGibbor.
30 The one not with me [Moshiach] is against me [anti-Moshiach]. And the one not gathering with me scatters.
31 Therefore, I say to you, every chet (sin) and gidduf (blasphemy) will be forgiven men, but whoever commits Chillul Hashem against the Ruach Hakodesh will not be forgiven.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Ben HaAdam [Moshiach] will be granted selicha (forgiveness), but whoever speaks against the Ruach Hakodesh, selicha will not be granted him either in the Olam Hazeh or in the Olam Habah.
33 Either make the etz (tree) tov (good) and its pri (fruit) will be tov, or make the etz nishchat (corrupt) and its pri will be rah; for by its pri the etz is known.
34 You banim of nechashim (sons of snakes), how are you able to speak tovot (good things), for out of the abundance of the lev (heart) the mouth speaks.
35 The ish tov (good man) out of the good otzar (treasure) brings forth good; and the ish rah out of the evil otzar brings forth evil.
36 But I say to you, that for every careless lashon horah (evil speech) that men speak, they will be called to account on the Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment).
37 For by your dvarim you will be pronounced tzodek (righteous), and by your dvarim you will be charged with guilt.
38 Then some of the Sofrim and Perushim answered Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, saying, Rabbi, we desire to see an ot (miraculous sign) from you.
39 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach answered them, Dor rah umnaef (an evil and adulterous generation) seeks for an ot (miraculous sign), but no ot will be given it except the ot of Yonah HaNavi.
40 For just as Yonah was in the belly of the great fish SHLOSHAH YAMIM USHLOSHAH LAILAH (three days and three nights, YONAH 1:17), so will be the Ben HaAdam (Moshiach) in the heart of the earth SHLOSHAH YAMIM USHLOSHAH LAILOT (three days and three nights).
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the Yom HaDin with this generation and they will condemn it, for the men of Nineveh made teshuva at the hatafah (preaching) of Yonah, and, hinei, something much greater than Yonah is here.
42 The Queen of the South will be made to stand up alive at the Yom HaDin with this generation and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the chochmah of Shlomo and, hinei, something much greater than Shlomo is here.
43 Now when the ruach hatameh (unclean spirit) goes out from the man, it goes through dry places seeking a manoach (resting place) and it does not find one.
44 Then it says, Into my haunt I will return from where I came out. And having come out, it finds the bais standing empty, having been swept and having been put beseder (in order).
45 Then it goes and takes along with itself seven other ruchot more evil than itself and, having entered the residence, it sets up house there, and the last state of that man has become worse than the first. Thus it will be with this evil generation also.
46 While he was still speaking to the multitudes, hinei, Moshiach’s Em and achim stood outside, seeking to speak with him.
47 And someone said to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, Hinei! Your Em and your achim have stood outside seeking to speak with you.
48 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said in reply to the one speaking with him, Who is my Em and who are my achim?
49 And stretching out his hand upon his talmidim, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Hinei, my Em and my achim.
50 For whoever does the ratzon (will) of Avi shbaShomayim(see Mt6:10; 26:39) he is my ach (brother) and achot (sister)and Em (Mother).
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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