Luke 6:1-11

New Testament for Everyone

Teachings on the sabbath

6 One sabbath, Jesus was walking through some cornfields. His disciples were plucking and eating ears of grain, rubbing them with their hands.

² “Why,” asked some Pharisees, “are you doing something that isn’t permitted on the sabbath?”

³ “Haven’t you read what David did?” replied Jesus. “When he and his men were hungry, ⁴ he went into God’s house and took the ‘bread of the presence,’ which no one but the priests was allowed to eat. He ate some, and gave it to his companions.

⁵ “The son of man,” he declared, “is Lord of the sabbath.”

⁶ On another sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ The scribes and Pharisees were watching him, to see if he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they could find an accusation against him.

⁸ He knew what they were thinking.

“Get up,” he said to the man with the withered hand, “and come out here in the middle.” He got up and came out.

⁹ “Let me ask you something,” Jesus said to them. “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath or to do evil? To save life or to destroy it?”

¹⁰ He looked round at all of them.

“Stretch out your hand,” he said to the man.

He did so; and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with rage, and discussed with each other what they might do to Jesus.