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 did Jesus go on the sabbaths through the corn, and his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears, and 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.

and the Pharisees having seen, said to him, `Lo, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on a sabbath.'

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

And he said to them, `Did ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, himself and those with him --

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?

how he went into the house of God, and the loaves of the presentation did eat, which it is not lawful to him to eat, nor to those with him, except to the priests alone?

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?

`Or did ye not read in the Law, that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple do profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

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

and I say to you, that a greater than the temple 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.

and if ye had known what is: Kindness I will, and not sacrifice -- ye had not condemned the blameless,

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

for the son of man is lord even of the sabbath.'

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

And having departed thence, he went to their synagogue,

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.

and lo, there was a man having the hand withered, and they questioned him, saying, `Is it lawful to heal on the sabbaths?' that they might accuse 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?

And he said to them, `What man shall be of you, who shall have one sheep, and if this may fall on the sabbaths into a ditch, will not lay hold on it and raise ?

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, therefore, is a man than a sheep? -- so that it is lawful on the sabbaths to do good.'

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 saith he to the man, `Stretch forth thy hand,' and he stretched forth, and it was restored whole as the other.

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

And the Pharisees having gone forth, held a consultation against him, how they might destroy him,

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,

and Jesus having known, withdrew thence, and there followed him great multitudes, and he healed them all,

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

and did charge them that they might not make him manifest,

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

that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, 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.

`Lo, My servant, whom I did choose, My beloved, in whom My soul did delight, I will put My Spirit upon him, and judgment to the nations he shall declare,

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

he shall not strive nor cry, nor shall any hear in the broad places his voice,

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.

a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, till he may put forth judgment to victory,

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

and in his name shall nations hope.'

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 was brought to him a demoniac, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

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

And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, `Is this 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 the Pharisees having heard, said, `This one doth not cast out demons, except by Beelzeboul, ruler of the 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.

And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, `Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and no city or house having been divided against itself, doth 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?

and if the Adversary doth cast out the Adversary, against himself he was divided, how then doth his kingdom 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.

`And if I, by Beelzeboul, do cast out the demons, your sons -- by whom do they cast out? because of this they -- they shall be your judges.

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, by the Spirit of God, do cast out the demons, then come already unto you did the reign of God.

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.

`Or how is one able to go into the house of the strong man, and to plunder his goods, if first he may not bind the strong man? and then his house he will plunder.

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.

`He who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me, doth scatter.

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.

Because of this I say to you, all sin and evil speaking shall be forgiven to men, but the evil speaking of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.

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.

And whoever may speak a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven to him, but whoever may speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is coming.

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.

`Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad, for from the fruit is the tree known.

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.

`Brood of vipers! how are ye able to speak good things -- being evil? for out of the abundance of the heart doth the mouth speak.

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.

The good man out of the good treasure of the heart doth put forth the good things, and the evil man out of the evil treasure doth put forth evil things.

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.

`And I say to you, that every idle word that men may speak, they shall give for it a reckoning in a day of judgment;

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

for from thy words thou shalt be declared righteous, and from thy words thou shalt be declared unrighteous.'

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

Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, `Teacher, we will to see a sign from thee.'

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.

And he answering said to them, `A generation, evil and adulterous, doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;

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.

for, as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

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!

`Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for they reformed at the proclamation of Jonah, and lo, a greater than Jonah 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.

`A queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, a greater than Solomon here!

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.

`And, when the unclean spirit may go forth from the man, it doth walk through dry places seeking rest, and doth not find;

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 saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth; and having come, it findeth unoccupied, swept, and adorned:

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 doth it go, and take with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having gone in they dwell there, and the last of that man doth become worse than the first; so shall it be also to this evil generation.'

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

And while he was yet speaking to the multitudes, lo, his mother and brethren had stood without, seeking to speak to him,

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

and one said to him, `Lo, thy mother and thy brethren do stand without, seeking to speak to thee.'

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

And he answering said to him who spake to him, `Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?'

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

And having stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, he said, `Lo, my mother and my brethren!

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

for whoever may do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.'