Matthew 11:25-12:19

English Standard Version

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

²⁵^(A)At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, ^(B)Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(C)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and ^(D)revealed them to little children; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your ^(E)gracious will.^[a] ²⁷^(F)All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son ^(G)except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone ^(H)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸^(I)Come to ^(J)me, all who labor and are ^(K)heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and ^(L)learn from me, for I am ^(M)gentle and lowly in heart, and ^(N)you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For ^(O)my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time ^(P)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^(Q)they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ²But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^(R)“Look, your disciples are doing ^(S)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³He said to them, ^(T)“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 ^(U)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 ^(V)in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶I tell you, ^(W)something greater than the temple is here. ⁷And if you had known ^(X)what this means, ^(Y)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸For ^(Z)the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁹He went on from there and ^(AA)entered their synagogue. ¹⁰And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^(AB)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—^(AC)so that they might accuse him. ¹¹He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^(AD)if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²^(AE)Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^(AF)it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ^(AG)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, ^(AH)withdrew from there. And ^(AI)many followed him, and he healed them all ¹⁶and ^(AJ)ordered them not to make him known. ¹⁷^(AK)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸^(AL)“Behold, my ^(AM)servant whom I have chosen,
    my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
^(AN)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;