Matthew 11:18-12:33

English Standard Version

¹⁸For John came ^(A)neither eating ^(B)nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came ^(C)eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, ^(D)a friend of ^(E)tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”^[a]

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

²⁰^(F)Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. ²¹^(G)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in ^(H)Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²^(I)But I tell you, it will be more bearable on ^(J)the day of judgment for ^(K)Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³And you, ^(L)Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to ^(M)Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴^(N)But I tell you that ^(O)it will be more tolerable on ^(P)the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

²⁵^(Q)At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, ^(R)Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(S)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and ^(T)revealed them to little children; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your ^(U)gracious will.^[b] ²⁷^(V)All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son ^(W)except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone ^(X)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸^(Y)Come to ^(Z)me, all who labor and are ^(AA)heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and ^(AB)learn from me, for I am ^(AC)gentle and lowly in heart, and ^(AD)you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For ^(AE)my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time ^(AF)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^(AG)they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ²But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^(AH)“Look, your disciples are doing ^(AI)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³He said to them, ^(AJ)“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴how he entered the house of God and ate ^(AK)the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵Or have you not read ^(AL)in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶I tell you, ^(AM)something greater than the temple is here. ⁷And if you had known ^(AN)what this means, ^(AO)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸For ^(AP)the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁹He went on from there and ^(AQ)entered their synagogue. ¹⁰And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^(AR)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—^(AS)so that they might accuse him. ¹¹He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^(AT)if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²^(AU)Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^(AV)it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ^(AW)the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God's Chosen Servant

¹⁵Jesus, aware of this, ^(AX)withdrew from there. And ^(AY)many followed him, and he healed them all ¹⁶and ^(AZ)ordered them not to make him known. ¹⁷^(BA)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸^(BB)“Behold, my ^(BC)servant whom I have chosen,
    my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
^(BD)I will put my Spirit upon him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
    nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
²⁰a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
²¹    ^(BE)and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

²²^(BF)Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. ²³^(BG)And all the people were amazed, and said, ^(BH)“Can this be the Son of David?” ²⁴But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ^(BI)“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” ²⁵^(BJ)Knowing their thoughts, ^(BK)he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ^(BL)by whom do ^(BM)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁸But if it is ^(BN)by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then ^(BO)the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹Or ^(BP)how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed ^(BQ)he may plunder his house. ³⁰^(BR)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ³¹^(BS)Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but ^(BT)the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³²And whoever speaks a word ^(BU)against the Son of Man ^(BV)will be forgiven, but ^(BW)whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in ^(BX)this age or in the age to come.