Mark 3:20-30

New International Version

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law^(A)^(B)

²⁰Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered,^(C) so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.^(D) ²¹When his family^[a] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”^(E)

²²And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem^(F) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!^(G) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”^(H)

²³So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:^(I) “How can Satan^(J) drive out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.^(K) ²⁸Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”^(L)

³⁰He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

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Footnotes

Mark 3:21 Or his associates

Luke 11:14-23

New International Version

Jesus and Beelzebul^(A)^(B)

¹⁴Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.^(C) ¹⁵But some of them said, “By Beelzebul,^(D) the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”^(E) ¹⁶Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.^(F)

¹⁷Jesus knew their thoughts^(G) and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. ¹⁸If Satan^(H) is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁰But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,^(I) then the kingdom of God^(J) has come upon you.

²¹“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²²But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

²³“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.^(K)

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