1 A t that particular time Jesus went through the fields of standing grain on the Sabbath; and His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick off the spikes of grain and to eat.

At that time Jesus walked through the grain-fields on the Day of Rest. His followers were hungry and began to pick off grain to eat.

2 A nd when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, See there! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful and not permitted on the Sabbath.

The proud religious law-keepers saw this. They said to Jesus, “See! Your followers do what the Law says not to do on the Day of Rest.”

3 H e said to them, Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, and those who accompanied him—

He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry?

4 H ow he went into the house of God and ate the loaves of the showbread—which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for the men who accompanied him, but for the priests only?

He went into the house of God and ate the special bread used in worship which was against the Law for him or those with him to eat! Only the Jewish religious leaders were to eat that special bread.

5 O r have you never read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath and yet are guiltless?

Have you not read in the Law how the religious leaders do that which is not right to do on the Day of Rest, and yet they are not guilty?

6 B ut I tell you, Something greater and more exalted and more majestic than the temple is here!

I tell you that Someone greater than the house of God is here.

7 A nd if you had only known what this saying means, I desire mercy rather than sacrifice and sacrificial victims, you would not have condemned the guiltless.

If you had understood what the words mean, ‘I want loving-kindness and not a gift to be given,’ you would not say a person is guilty who has done no wrong.

8 F or the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Day of Rest.” Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest

9 A nd going on from there, He went into their synagogue.

From there Jesus went into their place of worship.

10 A nd behold, a man was there with one withered hand. And they said to Him, Is it lawful or allowable to cure people on the Sabbath days?—that they might accuse Him.

A man was there with a dried-up hand. The proud religious law-keepers asked Jesus, “Does the Law say it is right to heal on the Day of Rest?” They wanted something to say against Him.

11 B ut He said to them, What man is there among you, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit or ditch on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?

He said to them, “If one of you has a sheep which falls into a hole on the Day of Rest, will you not take hold of it and pull it out?

12 H ow much better and of more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and allowable to do good on the Sabbath days.

How much better is a man than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the Day of Rest.”

13 T hen He said to the man, Reach out your hand. And the man reached it out and it was restored, as sound as the other one.

Then He said to the man, “Put out your hand.” He held it out and it was made as well as the other.

14 B ut the Pharisees went out and held a consultation against Him, how they might do away with Him.

The proud religious law-keepers went out and made plans against Him. They planned how they might kill Him. Jesus Heals Many People

15 B ut being aware of this, Jesus went away from there. And many people joined and accompanied Him, and He cured all of them,

Jesus knew this and went away from there. Many people followed Him and He healed all of them.

16 A nd strictly charged them and sharply warned them not to make Him publicly known.

He told them to tell no one of Him.

17 T his was in fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah,

It happened as the early preacher Isaiah said it would happen, saying,

18 B ehold, My Servant Whom I have chosen, My Beloved in and with Whom My soul is well pleased and has found its delight. I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim and show forth justice to the nations.

“See! My Servant Whom I have chosen! My much Loved, in Whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit in Him. He will say to the nations what is right from wrong.

19 H e will not strive or wrangle or cry out loudly; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets;

He will not fight or speak with a loud voice. No man will hear His voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering (dimly burning) wick He will not quench, till He brings justice and a just cause to victory.

He will not break a broken branch. He will not put out a little fire until He makes things right.

21 A nd in and on His name will the Gentiles (the peoples outside of Israel) set their hopes.

In His name the nations will have hope.” A Nation That Cannot Stand

22 T hen a blind and dumb man under the power of a demon was brought to Jesus, and He cured him, so that the blind and dumb man both spoke and saw.

Then they brought to Him a man who had a demon. He was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him and he could talk and see.

23 A nd all the people were stunned with bewildered wonder and said, This cannot be the Son of David, can it?

All the people were surprised and said, “Can this Man be the Son of David?”

24 B ut the Pharisees, hearing it, said, This Man drives out demons only by and with the help of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

But when the proud religious law-keepers heard it, they said, “This Man puts out demons only by Satan, the leader of demons.”

25 A nd knowing their thoughts, He said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand.

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every nation divided into groups that fight each other is going to be destroyed. Every city or family divided into groups that fight each other will not stand.

26 A nd if Satan drives out Satan, he has become divided against himself and disunified; how then will his kingdom last or continue to stand?

If the devil puts out the devil, he is divided against himself. How will his nation stand?

27 A nd if I drive out the demons by Beelzebub, by whose do your sons drive them out? For this reason they shall be your judges.

If I put out demons by Satan, by whom do your followers put them out? So your followers will say if you are guilty.

28 B ut if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you '> before you expected it].

But if I put out demons by the Spirit of God, then the holy nation of God is come to you.

29 O r how can a person go into a strong man’s house and carry off his goods (the entire equipment of his house) without first binding the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

How can anyone go into a strong man’s house and take away his things, unless he ties up the strong man first? Only then can he take things from his house. The Sin That Cannot Be Forgiven

30 H e who is not with Me '> on My side] is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me and for My side scatters.

“Whoever is not with Me is against Me. Whoever is not gathering with Me is sending everywhere.

31 T herefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy (every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things) can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not and cannot be forgiven.

I tell you, every sin and every bad word men speak against God will be forgiven, but bad words spoken against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

32 A nd whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven, either in this world and age or in the world and age to come.

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this life or in the life to come. The Sin of Saying Bad Things

33 E ither make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit.

“A good tree gives good fruit. A bad tree gives bad fruit. A tree is known by its fruit.

34 Y ou offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

You family of snakes! How can you say good things when you are sinful? The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

35 T he good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things.

A good man will speak good things because of the good in him. A bad man will speak bad things because of the sin in him.

36 B ut I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.

I say to you, on the day men stand before God, they will have to give an answer for every word they have spoken that was not important.

37 F or by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.

For it is by your words that you will not be guilty and it is by your words that you will be guilty.” Jesus Tells about Jonah

38 T hen some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, Teacher, we desire to see a sign or miracle from You.

Then some of the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, “Teacher, we would like to have you do something special for us to see.”

39 B ut He replied to them, An evil and adulterous generation (a generation morally unfaithful to God) seeks and demands a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

He said to them, “The sinful people of this day look for something special to see. There will be nothing special to see but the powerful works of the early preacher Jonah.

40 F or even as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of a big fish. The Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the grave also.

41 T he men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, Someone more and greater than Jonah is here!

The men of the city of Nineveh will stand up with the people of this day on the day men stand before God. Those men will say these people are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And see, Someone greater than Jonah is here!

42 T he queen of the South will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, Someone more and greater than Solomon is here.

“The queen of the south will stand up with the people of this day on the day men stand before God. She will say that these people are guilty because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wise sayings of Solomon. And see, Someone greater than Solomon is here! A Person Filled with Bad or Good

43 B ut when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through dry places in search of rest, but it does not find any.

“When a demon is gone out of a man, it goes through dry places to find rest. It finds none.

44 T hen it says, I will go back to my house from which I came out. And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, put in order, and decorated.

Then it says, ‘I will go back into my house from which I came.’ When it goes back, it sees that it is empty. But it sees that the house has been cleaned and looks good.

45 T hen it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So also shall it be with this wicked generation.

Then it goes out and comes back bringing with it seven demons more sinful than itself. They go in and live there. In the end that man is worse than at first. It will be like this with the sinful people of this day.” The New Kind of Family

46 J esus was still speaking to the people when behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him.

While Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers came and stood outside. They wanted to talk to Him.

47 S omeone said to Him, Listen! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.

Someone said to Him, “Your mother and brothers are outside and want to talk to you.”

48 B ut He replied to the man who told Him, Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?

Jesus said, “Who is My mother? And who are My brothers?”

49 A nd stretching out His hand toward His adherents, He said, Here are My mother and My brothers.

He put out His hand to His followers and said, “See, these are My mother and My brothers!

50 F or whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!

Whoever does what My father in heaven wants him to do is My brother and My sister and My mother.”