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Matthew 12
Legacy Standard Bible

Lord of the Sabbath

12 (A)At that [a]time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to (B)pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what (C)is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4 how he entered the house of God, and (D)they ate the [b]consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5 Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple [c]break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something (E)greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this [d]means, ‘(F)I desire [e]compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For (G)the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath

9 (H)And departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned [f]Jesus, saying, “(I)Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, “(J)What man [g]is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 (K)How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do [h]good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” (L)He stretched it out, and it was restored to [i]normal, like the other. 14 But going out, the Pharisees (M)took counsel together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

15 But Jesus, [j]aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and (N)He healed them all, 16 and (O)warned them not to make Him known, 17 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,

18 “(P)Behold, My [k]Servant whom I [l]have chosen;
(Q)My Beloved in whom My soul [m]is well-pleased;
(R)I will put My Spirit upon Him,
(S)And He shall proclaim [n]justice to the [o]Gentiles.
19 (T)He will not quarrel, nor cry out;
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 (U)A battered reed He will not break off,
And a smoldering wick He will not put out,
Until He [p]leads [q]justice to victory.
21 (V)And in His name the [r]Gentiles will hope.”

A Kingdom Divided

22 (W)Then a (X)demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to [s]Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 And all the crowds were astounded, and were saying, “Can this man really be the (Y)Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man does not (Z)cast out demons except by [t]Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

25 (AA)And (AB)knowing their thoughts He said to them, “[u]Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and [v]any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 And if (AC)Satan casts out Satan, he [w]is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I (AD)by [x]Beelzebul cast out demons, (AE)by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But (AF)if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

30 (AG)He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

31 “(AH)Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 (AI)And whoever [y]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever [z]speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in (AJ)this age or in the age to come.

The Heart Is Revealed by Words

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for (AK)the tree is known by its fruit. 34 (AL)You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak [aa]what is good? (AM)For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 (AN)The good man brings out of his good treasure [ab]what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure [ac]what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every [ad]careless word that people [ae]speak, they shall give an accounting for it in (AO)the day of judgment. 37 For [af]by your words you will be justified, and [ag]by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered and said to Him, “Teacher, (AP)we want to see [ah]a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “(AQ)An evil and adulterous generation eagerly seeks for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40 for just as (AR)Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will (AS)the Son of Man be (AT)three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 (AU)The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because (AV)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, (AW)something greater than Jonah is here. 42 (AX)The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, (AY)something greater than Solomon is here.

43 “(AZ)Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and (BA)the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 (BB)While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His (BC)mother and (BD)brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 [ai]Now someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” 48 But [aj]Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:1 Or occasion
  2. Matthew 12:4 Or showbread; lit loaves of presentation
  3. Matthew 12:5 Or profane
  4. Matthew 12:7 Lit is
  5. Matthew 12:7 Or mercy
  6. Matthew 12:10 Lit Him
  7. Matthew 12:11 Lit will be from you
  8. Matthew 12:12 Lit well
  9. Matthew 12:13 Lit health
  10. Matthew 12:15 Lit knowing
  11. Matthew 12:18 Lit Child
  12. Matthew 12:18 Lit chose
  13. Matthew 12:18 Or took pleasure
  14. Matthew 12:18 Or judgment
  15. Matthew 12:18 Or nations
  16. Matthew 12:20 Or puts forth
  17. Matthew 12:20 Or judgment
  18. Matthew 12:21 Or nations
  19. Matthew 12:22 Lit Him
  20. Matthew 12:24 Or Beezebul
  21. Matthew 12:25 Lit Every
  22. Matthew 12:25 Lit every
  23. Matthew 12:26 Lit was
  24. Matthew 12:27 v 24, note 1
  25. Matthew 12:32 Lit will speak
  26. Matthew 12:32 Lit will speak
  27. Matthew 12:34 Lit good things
  28. Matthew 12:35 Lit good things
  29. Matthew 12:35 Lit evil things
  30. Matthew 12:36 Or useless
  31. Matthew 12:36 Lit will speak
  32. Matthew 12:37 Or in accordance with
  33. Matthew 12:37 Or in accordance with
  34. Matthew 12:38 Or an attesting miracle
  35. Matthew 12:47 This verse is not found in early mss
  36. Matthew 12:48 Lit He
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Matthew 12
International Standard Version

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath(A)

12 At that time, Jesus walked through the grain fields on a Sabbath.[a] His disciples became hungry and began picking heads of grain to eat. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they told him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

3 But he told them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 How is it that he went into the house of God and ate the Bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him and his companions to eat but was reserved[b] for the priests? 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on every Sabbath[c] the priests in the Temple violate the Sabbath[d] and yet are innocent?[e] 6 But I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here! 7 If you had known what ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice’[f] means, you would not have condemned the innocent, 8 for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals a Man with a Paralyzed Hand(B)

9 Moving on from there, Jesus[g] went into their synagogue. 10 Suddenly, a man with a paralyzed hand appeared. The people[h] asked Jesus[i] if it was lawful to heal on Sabbath days,[j] intending to accuse him of doing something wrong.

11 But he asked them, “Is there a man among you who, if he had one sheep and it fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and pull it out? 12 How much more is a human being worth than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on Sabbath days.”[k]

13 Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out and it became normal, as healthy as his other hand. 14 The Pharisees, however, went out and plotted against Jesus[l] to kill him.

Jesus, God’s Chosen Servant

15 When Jesus became aware of this, he left that place. Many crowds[m] followed him, and he healed all of them, 16 ordering them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

18 “Here is my Servant whom I have chosen,
    whom I love, and with whom I am pleased!
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will proclaim justice[n] to unbelievers.[o]
19 He will not quarrel or shout,
    and no one will hear him shouting[p] in the streets.
20 He will not snap off a broken reed
    or snuff out a smoldering wick
        until he has brought justice[q] through to victory.
21 And in his name unbelievers[r] will hope.”[s]

Jesus is Accused of Working with Beelzebul(C)

22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to talk was brought to him. Jesus[t] healed him so that the man[u] could speak and see. 23 All the crowds were amazed and kept saying, “This man isn’t the Son of David, is he?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

25 He knew what they were thinking and told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 So if Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How, then, can his kingdom stand? 27 If I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own followers[v] drive them out? That is why they will be your judges! 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 How can someone 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. 30 The person who isn’t with me is against me, and the person who isn’t gathering with me is scattering. 31 So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven,[w] but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.”

A Tree is Known by Its Fruit(D)

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten, because a tree is known by its fruit. 34 You children of serpents! How can you say anything good when you are evil? The mouth speaks about what overflows from the heart. 35 A good person brings good things out of a good treasure house, and an evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure house. 36 I tell you, on Judgment Day people will give an account for every thoughtless[x] word they have uttered, 37 because by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah(E)

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees told Jesus,[y] “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 But he replied to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign. Yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah, 40 because just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights,[z] so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment and condemn the people living today,[aa] because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. But look—something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the south will stand up and condemn the people living today,[ab] because she came from so far away[ac] to hear the wisdom of Solomon. But look! Something greater than Solomon is here!”

The Return of the Unclean Spirit(F)

43 “Whenever an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through waterless places looking for a place to rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will go back to my home that I left.’ When it arrives, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and settle there. And so the final condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That’s just what will happen to this evil generation!”

The True Family of Jesus(G)

46 While Jesus[ad] was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Look! Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you.”[ae]

48 He asked the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Then pointing with his hand at his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers, 50 because whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:1 Lit. on the Sabbaths
  2. Matthew 12:4 Lit. but only
  3. Matthew 12:5 Lit. on the Sabbaths
  4. Matthew 12:5 I.e. by carrying out priestly duties
  5. Matthew 12:5 Cf. Exod 25:30; 29:32-33; Lev 8:31
  6. Matthew 12:7 Cf. Hos 6:6
  7. Matthew 12:9 Lit. he
  8. Matthew 12:10 Lit. They
  9. Matthew 12:10 Lit. him
  10. Matthew 12:10 Lit. on the Sabbaths
  11. Matthew 12:12 Lit. on the Sabbaths
  12. Matthew 12:14 Lit. him
  13. Matthew 12:15 Other mss. lack crowds
  14. Matthew 12:18 Or judgment
  15. Matthew 12:18 Lit. gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
  16. Matthew 12:19 Lit. hear his voice
  17. Matthew 12:20 Or judgment
  18. Matthew 12:21 Lit. gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
  19. Matthew 12:21 Cf. Isa 42:1-4
  20. Matthew 12:22 Lit. He
  21. Matthew 12:22 Lit. the man who was unable to talk
  22. Matthew 12:27 Lit. sons
  23. Matthew 12:31 Lit. will be forgiven to people
  24. Matthew 12:36 Or worthless
  25. Matthew 12:38 Lit. him
  26. Matthew 12:40 Cf. Jonah 1:17
  27. Matthew 12:41 Lit. judgment with this generation and condemn it
  28. Matthew 12:42 Lit. judgment with this generation and condemn it
  29. Matthew 12:42 Lit. from the ends of the earth
  30. Matthew 12:46 Lit. he
  31. Matthew 12:47 Other mss. lack this verse
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