He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?(A) He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.(B) Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath(C) and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.(D) If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a](E) you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man(F) is Lord of the Sabbath.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6

But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

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