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A Kingdom Divided

22 (A)Then a (B)demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to [a]Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 And all the crowds were astounded, and were saying, “Can this man really be the (C)Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man does not (D)cast out demons except by [b]Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

25 (E)And (F)knowing their thoughts He said to them, [c]Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and [d]any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 And if (G)Satan casts out Satan, he [e]is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I (H)by [f]Beelzebul cast out demons, (I)by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But (J)if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

30 (K)He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

31 (L)Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 (M)And whoever [g]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever [h]speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in (N)this age or in the age to come.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:22 Lit Him
  2. Matthew 12:24 Or Beezebul
  3. Matthew 12:25 Lit Every
  4. Matthew 12:25 Lit every
  5. Matthew 12:26 Lit was
  6. Matthew 12:27 v 24, note 1
  7. Matthew 12:32 Lit will speak
  8. Matthew 12:32 Lit will speak

Jesus and the Prince of Demons

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan,[a] the prince of demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

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Footnotes

  1. 12:24 Greek Beelzeboul; also in 12:27. Other manuscripts read Beezeboul; Latin version reads Beelzebub.