²³ And all the [crowds of] people were stunned with bewildered wonder and said, This cannot be the Son of David, can it?

²⁴ But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, This ^[a]Man drives out demons only by and with the help of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

²⁵ And knowing their thoughts, He said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand.

²⁶ And if Satan drives out Satan, he has become divided against himself and disunified; how then will his kingdom last or continue to stand?

²⁷ And if I drive out the demons by [help of] Beelzebub, by whose [help] do your sons drive them out? ^[b]For this reason they shall be your judges.

²⁸ But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [^[c]before you expected it].

²⁹ Or how can a person go into a strong man’s house and carry off his goods (the entire equipment of his house) without first binding the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

³⁰ He who is not with Me [definitely ^[d]on My side] is against Me, and he who does not [definitely] gather with Me and for ^[e]My side scatters.

³¹ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy (every evil, abusive, ^[f]injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things) can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit shall not and ^[g]cannot be forgiven.

³² And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven, either in this world and age or in the world and age to come.

³³ Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit.

³⁴ You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the ^[h]superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

³⁵ The good man from his inner good treasure ^[i]flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse ^[j]flings forth evil things.

³⁶ But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every ^[k]idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.

³⁷ For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.

⁴ For it is impossible [to restore and bring again to repentance] those who have been once for all enlightened, who have consciously tasted the heavenly gift and have become sharers of the Holy Spirit,

⁵ And have felt how good the Word of God is and the mighty powers of the age and world to come,

⁶ If they then deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance—[it is impossible] to bring them back to repentance, for (because, while, as long as) they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh [as far as they are concerned] and are holding [Him] up to contempt and shame and public disgrace.

⁷ For the soil which has drunk the rain that repeatedly falls upon it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose benefit it is cultivated partakes of a blessing from God.

⁸ But if [that same soil] persistently bears thorns and thistles, it is considered worthless and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.^(A)

²⁶ For if we go on deliberately and willingly sinning after once acquiring the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for [our] sins [no further offering to which to look forward].

²⁷ [There is nothing left for us then] but a kind of awful and fearful prospect and expectation of divine judgment and the fury of burning wrath and indignation which will consume those who put themselves in opposition [to God].^(A)

²⁸ Any person who has violated and [thus] rejected and set at naught the Law of Moses is put to death without pity or mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.^(B)

²⁹ How much worse (sterner and heavier) punishment do you suppose he will be judged to deserve who has spurned and [thus] trampled underfoot the Son of God, and who has considered the covenant blood by which he was consecrated common and unhallowed, thus profaning it and insulting and outraging the [Holy] Spirit [Who imparts] grace (the unmerited favor and blessing of God)?^(C)

³⁰ For we know Him Who said, Vengeance is Mine [retribution and the meting out of full justice rest with Me]; I will repay [I will exact the compensation], says the Lord. And again, The Lord will judge and determine and solve and settle the cause and the cases of His people.^(D)

³¹ It is a fearful (formidable and terrible) thing to incur the divine penalties and be cast into the hands of the living God!