Matthew 12
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Regarding The Sabbath, Jesus Makes Himself The Issue: I Am Lord of The Sabbath
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry and began to pluck[a] heads [of grain] and eat. 2 And the Pharisees, having seen it, said to Him, “Behold— Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to be doing on a Sabbath”. 3 And the One said to them, “Did you not read [in 1 Sam 21:1-6] what David did when he was hungry, and the ones with him— 4 how he entered into the house of God and they ate the Bread of Presentation[b] which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for the ones with him, but for the priests alone? 5 Or did you not read in the Law that on the Sabbaths, the priests in the temple profane[c] the Sabbath and are guiltless[d]? 6 But I say to you that a greater-thing than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what it means [in Hos 6:6]— ‘I desire mercy, and not a sacrifice’— you would not have condemned the guiltless ones. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath[e]”.
Jesus Deliberately Heals a Man On The Sabbath, Inflaming The Pharisees
9 And having passed-on from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold— there was a man having a withered hand. And they questioned Him, saying, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?’— in order that they might accuse Him. 11 And the One said to them, “What person will there be from-among you who will have one sheep, and if this sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and raise it? 12 How much then is a person more-valuable than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to be acting commendably[f] on the Sabbath”. 13 Then He says to the man, “Stretch-out your hand”. And he stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 And having gone out, the Pharisees took counsel against Him, so that they might destroy Him.
Jesus Speaks By His Actions. He Does Not Quarrel Or Shout, Fulfilling Isaiah
15 But Jesus, having known it, withdrew from there. And large crowds followed Him, and He cured them all. 16 And He warned them that they should not make Him known, 17 in order that the thing might be fulfilled having been spoken through Isaiah the prophet saying 18 “Behold My servant Whom I chose, My Beloved in Whom My soul was[g] well-pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will announce[h] justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel, nor shout, nor will anyone hear His voice in the wide-roads. 20 He will not break a reed having been bruised, and He will not quench a smoldering wick, until He leads-out[i] justice[j] to victory. 21 And the Gentiles will put-hope in His name” [Isa 42:1-4].
The Crowds Call Jesus The Messiah. The Pharisees Attribute His Power To The Devil
22 Then a blind and mute man being demon-possessed was brought to Him. And He cured him, so that the mute man was speaking and seeing. 23 And all the crowds were astonished, and were saying, “This One is not the Son of David, is He?” 24 But the Pharisees, having heard it, said, “This One is not casting out the demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!”
Such Blasphemy Against The Spirit Will Not Be Forgiven
25 And knowing their thoughts, He said to them— “Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and every city or house having been divided against itself will not stand; 26 and if Satan is casting-out Satan, he was divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom[k] are your sons casting them out? For this reason they will be your judges; 28 but if I am casting out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God came[l] upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man and snatch-away his things unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 The one not being with Me[m] is against Me. And the one not gathering with Me is scattering. 31 For this reason I say to you— every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to people. But the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven[n]. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven to him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven to him— neither in this age nor in the one coming. 33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad[o]. For the tree is known by the fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How are you able to speak good things, being evil? For the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart— 35 the good person brings out good things from his good treasure[p], and the evil person brings out evil things from his evil treasure. 36 And I say to you that every useless[q] word which people will speak— they will render an account for it on the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be declared-righteous, and by your words you will be condemned”.
Pharisees Ask Jesus For a Sign. He Offers Only The Sign of Jonah: Three Days In a Grave
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees responded to Him, saying “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You”. 39 But the One, having responded, said to them— “An evil and adulterous[r] generation is seeking-for a sign. And a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-creature[s], so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights[t] in the heart of the earth.
The Ninevites Will Condemn This Generation, For They Repented At Jonah’s Message
41 “Ninevite men will rise-up at the judgment with this generation, and they will condemn it. Because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold— a greater thing than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with this generation, and she will condemn it. Because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold— a greater thing than Solomon is here.
The Demons I Cast Out Now Will Return Later, And You Will Be Worse Off
43 “Now when the unclean spirit departs from the person, it goes through waterless places seeking rest[u], and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came-out’. And having come, it finds it being unoccupied, having been swept and put-in-order[v]. 45 Then it proceeds and takes along with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself. And having gone in, they dwell there, and the last[w] state of that person becomes worse than the first. So it will be[x] also with this evil generation”.
Jesus Says That Whoever Does The Will of God Is His Brother And Sister And Mother
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold— His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 And someone said to Him, “Behold— Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You”. 48 But the One, having responded, said to the one speaking to Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And having stretched-out His hand toward His disciples, He said “Behold— My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in the heavens— he is My brother and sister and mother”.
Footnotes
- Matthew 12:1 The Law permitted this, Deut 23:25.
- Matthew 12:4 That is, the bread ‘presented to’ or ‘set-before’ God, Lev 24:6-9. See Mk 2:26.
- Matthew 12:5 That is, treat as common, as an ordinary work day. In other words, the temple ministry is more important than the Sabbath. And Jesus is more important than the temple.
- Matthew 12:5 Or, innocent, without accusation.
- Matthew 12:8 Compare Mk 2:27.
- Matthew 12:12 Or, rightly, appropriately, well. God did not forbid doing good on the Sabbath. Compare Mk 3:4.
- Matthew 12:18 See 3:17.
- Matthew 12:18 Or, declare, proclaim.
- Matthew 12:20 Or, brings out, sends out, takes out.
- Matthew 12:20 Or, judgment.
- Matthew 12:27 The reasoning required to prove that the Jews are not using the power of Satan to cast out demons will also prove it in the case of Jesus.
- Matthew 12:28 Or arrived.
- Matthew 12:30 That is, not standing with Me.
- Matthew 12:31 To attribute the works and power of Jesus to Satan is to speak against the Spirit empowering Him.
- Matthew 12:33 make the tree good... or... bad. That is, either make the tree (Jesus) good and the fruit (His works) good... or bad. You can’t say that His miracles are good and He is from Satan. Or, either make the tree (you Pharisees) good and its fruit (repentance, believing Jesus) good... or bad. Make your choice about Me!
- Matthew 12:35 Or, treasury, treasure house.
- Matthew 12:36 Or, unproductive, idle, not working, and therefore, non-edifying, unprofitable, worthless.
- Matthew 12:39 That is, spiritually unfaithful to God.
- Matthew 12:40 Or, huge fish. This is a generic term used of large sea creatures.
- Matthew 12:40 A day and a night is one day, as in Gen 1:5. This is another way of saying ‘three days’. It does not mean 72 hours.
- Matthew 12:43 Or, a resting place.
- Matthew 12:44 Or, adorned, decorated.
- Matthew 12:45 Lit, last things.
- Matthew 12:45 Jesus is casting out demons and putting Israel’s house in order. But upon this evil generation’s rejection of Him, the demons will return and Israel will be worse off.
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
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”
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
