Jesus is Accused of Working with Beelzebul^(A)

²⁰ Then he went home. Such a large crowd gathered again that Jesus and his disciples^[a] couldn’t even eat. ²¹ When his family heard about it, they went to restrain him, because they kept saying, “He’s out of his mind!”

²² The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem kept repeating, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.”

²³ So Jesus^[b] called them together and began to speak to them in parables. “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a household is divided against itself, that household won’t stand. ²⁶ So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand. Indeed, his end has come. ²⁷ No one can go into a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions without first tying up the strong man. Then he can ransack his house. ²⁸ I tell all of you^[c] with certainty, people will be forgiven their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter.^{[d] 29} But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven, but is guilty of eternal sin.” ³⁰ …because they had been saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus is Accused of Working with Beelzebul^(A)

¹⁴ Jesus^[a] was driving a demon out of a man who was^[b] unable to talk. When the demon had gone out, the man^[c] began to speak, and the crowds were amazed. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” ¹⁶ Others, wanting to test Jesus,^[d] kept asking him for a sign from heaven.

¹⁷ Since he knew what they were thinking, he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is devastated, and a divided household collapses.^{[e] 18} Now, if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ If I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own followers^[f] drive them out? That is why they will be your judges! ²⁰ But if I drive out demons by the power^[g] of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

²¹ “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own mansion, his property is safe. ²² But when a stronger man than he attacks and defeats him, the stronger man^[h] strips off that man’s armor in which he trusted and then divides his plunder.

²³ “The person who isn’t with me is against me, and the person who doesn’t gather with me scatters.”

¹⁰ Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven.