The Daily Audio Bible

⁷ And Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and from Judea, ⁸ and from Jerusalem and from Idumea and from beyond the Jordan, and also those who dwelt about Tyre and Sidon: great crowds who, when they heard the things he did, came to him. ⁹ And he told his disciples that a boat should be kept at hand for him, because of the people, lest they should throng him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many, insomuch that they pressed in upon him to touch him, as many as had afflictions. ¹¹ And when the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, saying, You are the Son of God! ¹² And he charged them strictly not to make him known.

¹³ And he went up into a mountain and called to him whom he wished, and they came to him. ¹⁴ And he ordained the twelve to be with him, so that he might send them to preach, ¹⁵ and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils. ¹⁶ And he gave Simon the name Peter. ¹⁷ And he called James, the son of Zebedee, and John, James’ brother, and gave them the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder. ¹⁸ And there were Andrew and Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon of Canaan, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, which same also betrayed him.

And they came to a house. ²⁰ And the people assembled together again, so greatly that they had no opportunity so much as to eat bread. ²¹ And when his family members heard of it, they set out to get him, because they thought he would be beside himself.

²² And the scribes who came from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and by the power of the chief devil he casts out devils. ²³ And Jesus called them to him and spoke to them in similitudes: How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ For if a realm is divided against itself, that realm cannot endure. ²⁵ Or if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot continue. ²⁶ So if Satan makes insurrection against himself and is divided, he cannot continue, but is at an end. ²⁷ No one can enter into a strong man’s house and take away his goods unless he first binds the strong man, and then he plunders his house. ²⁸ Truly I say to you, all sins may be forgiven the children of men, and blasphemies with which they blaspheme. ²⁹ But he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit may never have forgiveness, but is liable to eternal condemnation. ³⁰ (For they said he had an unclean spirit.)