Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time ^(A)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^(B)they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^(C)“Look, your disciples are doing ^(D)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³ He said to them, ^(E)“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate ^(F)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? ⁵ Or have you not read ^(G)in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶ I tell you, ^(H)something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ And if you had known ^(I)what this means, ^(J)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For ^(K)the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

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

God's Chosen Servant

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

²⁷ And he said to them, ^(A)“The Sabbath was made for man, ^(B)not man for the Sabbath.

Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

34 The word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (A)“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: ^(B)Ah, shepherds of Israel ^(C)who have been feeding yourselves! ^(D)Should not shepherds feed the sheep?

¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God, ^(A)Behold, I am against the shepherds, and ^(B)I will require my sheep at their hand and ^(C)put a stop to their feeding the sheep. ^(D)No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. ^(E)I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

²⁰ But in fact ^(A)Christ has been raised from the dead, ^(B)the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as ^(C)by a man came death, ^(D)by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For ^(E)as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then ^(F)at his coming ^(G)those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers ^(H)the kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^(I)every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign ^(J)until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be ^(K)destroyed is death.