New Testament in a Year

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6 ^(A)Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples ^(B)were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. ² But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what ^(C)is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ³ And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even 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 took and ate the ^[a]consecrated bread which ^(E)is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” ⁵ And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

^6 (F)On another Sabbath He entered ^(G)the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there ^[b]whose right hand was withered. ⁷ The scribes and the Pharisees ^(H)were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. ⁸ But He ^(I)knew ^[c]what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and ^[d]come forward!” And he got up and ^[e]came forward. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ After ^(J)looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they themselves were filled with ^[f]rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve

¹² It was ^[g]at this time that He went off to ^(K)the mountain to ^(L)pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, ^(M)He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as ^(N)apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and ^[h]James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ and ^(O)Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

¹⁷ Jesus ^(P)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was ^(Q)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of ^(R)Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. ¹⁹ And all the ^[i]people were trying to ^(S)touch Him, for ^(T)power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

²⁰ And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “^(U)Blessed are ^[j]you who are poor, for ^(V)yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are ^[k]you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. ^22 (W)Blessed are you when men hate you, and ^(X)ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. ²³ Be glad in that day and ^(Y)leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For ^(Z)in the same way their fathers used to ^[l]treat the prophets. ²⁴ But woe to ^(AA)you who are rich, for ^(AB)you are receiving your comfort in full. ²⁵ Woe to you who ^[m]are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. ²⁶ Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to ^[n]treat the ^(AC)false prophets in the same way.