Matthew 12
English Standard Version
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:
18 (W)“Behold, my (X)servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
(Y)I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 (Z)and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 (AA)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 (AB)And all the people were amazed, and said, (AC)“Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, (AD)“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 (AE)Knowing their thoughts, (AF)he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, (AG)by whom do (AH)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is (AI)by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then (AJ)the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or (AK)how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed (AL)he may plunder his house. 30 (AM)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 (AN)Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but (AO)the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word (AP)against the Son of Man (AQ)will be forgiven, but (AR)whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in (AS)this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 (AT)“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, (AU)for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 (AV)You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, (AW)when you are evil? (AX)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 (AY)The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, (AZ)on the day of judgment (BA)people will give account for (BB)every careless word they speak, 37 for (BC)by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, (BD)we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, (BE)“An evil and (BF)adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For (BG)just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, (BH)so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 (BI)The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and (BJ)condemn it, for (BK)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, (BL)something greater than Jonah is here. 42 (BM)The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, (BN)something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
43 “When (BO)the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through (BP)waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and (BQ)the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this (BR)evil generation.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, (BS)his mother and his (BT)brothers[a] stood outside, asking to speak to him.[b] 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For (BU)whoever (BV)does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 12:46 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 48, 49
- Matthew 12:46 Some manuscripts insert verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you”
Matthew 12
New King James Version
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(A)
12 At that time (B)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to (C)pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read (D)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate (E)the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, (F)but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the (G)law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple [a]profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is (H)One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, (I)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord [b]even of the Sabbath.”
Healing on the Sabbath(J)
9 (K)Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, (L)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.
11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then (M)the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Behold, My Servant
15 But when Jesus knew it, (N)He withdrew from there. (O)And great [c]multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He (P)warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
18 “Behold!(Q) My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved (R)in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”
A House Divided Cannot Stand(S)
22 (T)Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the [d]blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the (U)Son of David?”
24 (V)Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by [e]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
25 But Jesus (W)knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, (X)surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 (Y)Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
The Unpardonable Sin(Z)
31 “Therefore I say to you, (AA)every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, (AB)but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who (AC)speaks a word against the Son of Man, (AD)it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Known by Its Fruit(AE)
33 “Either make the tree good and (AF)its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 (AG)Brood[f] of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? (AH)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure [g]of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign(AI)
38 (AJ)Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and (AK)adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 (AL)For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 (AM)The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and (AN)condemn it, (AO)because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 (AP)The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
An Unclean Spirit Returns(AQ)
43 (AR)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, (AS)he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; (AT)and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him(AU)
46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, (AV)behold, His mother and (AW)brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, (AX)Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”
48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My (AY)brothers! 50 For (AZ)whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 12:5 desecrate
- Matthew 12:8 NU, M omit even
- Matthew 12:15 NU brackets multitudes as disputed.
- Matthew 12:22 NU omits blind and
- Matthew 12:24 NU, M Beelzebul, a Philistine deity
- Matthew 12:34 Offspring
- Matthew 12:35 NU, M omit of his heart
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
- Matthew 12:1 Lit. on the Sabbaths
- Matthew 12:4 Lit. but only
- Matthew 12:5 Lit. on the Sabbaths
- Matthew 12:5 I.e. by carrying out priestly duties
- Matthew 12:5 Cf. Exod 25:30; 29:32-33; Lev 8:31
- Matthew 12:7 Cf. Hos 6:6
- Matthew 12:9 Lit. he
- Matthew 12:10 Lit. They
- Matthew 12:10 Lit. him
- Matthew 12:10 Lit. on the Sabbaths
- Matthew 12:12 Lit. on the Sabbaths
- Matthew 12:14 Lit. him
- Matthew 12:15 Other mss. lack crowds
- Matthew 12:18 Or judgment
- Matthew 12:18 Lit. gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
- Matthew 12:19 Lit. hear his voice
- Matthew 12:20 Or judgment
- Matthew 12:21 Lit. gentiles; i.e. unbelieving non-Jews
- Matthew 12:21 Cf. Isa 42:1-4
- Matthew 12:22 Lit. He
- Matthew 12:22 Lit. the man who was unable to talk
- Matthew 12:27 Lit. sons
- Matthew 12:31 Lit. will be forgiven to people
- Matthew 12:36 Or worthless
- Matthew 12:38 Lit. him
- Matthew 12:40 Cf. Jonah 1:17
- Matthew 12:41 Lit. judgment with this generation and condemn it
- Matthew 12:42 Lit. judgment with this generation and condemn it
- Matthew 12:42 Lit. from the ends of the earth
- Matthew 12:46 Lit. he
- Matthew 12:47 Other mss. lack this verse
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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