1 A t 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.

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 T he 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.”

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 read what David did when he and his men were hungry?

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

4 H e 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.

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 H ave 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?

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

and I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here;

7 I f 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.

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 Day of Rest.” Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest

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

9 F rom there Jesus went into their place of worship.

And having departed thence, he went to their synagogue,

10 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.

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 H e 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16 H e told them to tell no one of Him.

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

17 I t happened as the early preacher Isaiah said it would happen, saying,

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

18 “ 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.

`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 fight or speak with a loud voice. No man will hear His voice in the streets.

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

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

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

21 I n His name the nations will have hope.” A Nation That Cannot Stand

and in his name shall nations hope.'

22 T hen 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.

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

And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, `Is this the Son of David?'

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

but the Pharisees having heard, said, `This one doth not cast out demons, except by Beelzeboul, ruler of the demons.'

25 J esus 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.

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

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

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

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

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

29 H ow 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

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

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

31 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.

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 W hoever 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

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 “ A good tree gives good fruit. A bad tree gives bad fruit. A tree is known 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 family of snakes! How can you say good things when you are sinful? The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

`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 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.

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 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.

`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 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

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

38 T hen 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.”

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

39 H e 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.

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 J onah 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.

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 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!

`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 “ 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

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

`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 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.

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 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

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 W hile Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers came and stood outside. They wanted to talk 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, “Your mother and brothers are outside and want to talk to you.”

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

48 J esus said, “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 H e put out His hand to His followers and said, “See, these are My mother and My brothers!

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

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

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