²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks ^(A)blasphemies? ^(B)Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

¹¹ Then ^(A)they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, ¹³ and they ^(B)set up false ^(C)witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against ^(D)this holy place and the law,

³³ The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but ^(A)for blasphemy, because you, being a man, ^(B)make yourself God.”

⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with him began to say among^[a] themselves, ^(A)“Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak like that? ^(A)He is blaspheming! ^(B)Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(A)tore his robes and said, ^(B)“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.

¹⁶ Whoever ^(A)blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

⁶ The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ^(A)“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and ^(B)gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast ^(C)love and faithfulness, ^7 (D)keeping steadfast love for thousands,^{[a] (E)}forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but ^(F)who will by no means clear the guilty, ^(G)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”