Matthew 12

1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and his disciples became hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and eat.

2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

3But he said to them, “Have you not read what David and those with him did when they were hungry?”

4how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests?

5Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?

6But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

7But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

9And departing from there, he went into their synagogue.

10And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse him.

11But he said to them, “Which man among you, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?”

12How much more valuable, then, is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

13Then he says to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other one.

14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how they might destroy him.

15But Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all,

16And he warned them not to make him known,

17so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying:

18Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul has delighted. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

19He will not quarrel or cry out, and no one will hear his voice in the streets.

20He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory.

21and in his name the nations will hope.

22Then a demon-possessed man, blind and mute, was brought to him; and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.

23And all the crowds were astonished and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”

24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

25But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”

26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

28But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29Or how can someone enter the strong man's house and seize his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one.

33Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit.

34Offspring of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

35The good man brings out good things from his good treasure, and the evil man brings out evil things from his evil treasure.

36But I tell you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account on the day of judgment.

37For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39But he answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.”

40For just as Jonah was in the belly of the sea creature three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

41The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

42The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

43When the unclean spirit goes out from the man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.

44Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out,’ and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So it will be also with this evil generation.

46While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to him.

47Then someone said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to you.”

48But he answered the one speaking to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

49And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers.”

50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.