1 A t that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

At 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.

2 B ut the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, “Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

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

3 B ut he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him;

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

4 h ow he entered into God’s house, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

How 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?

5 O r have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?

Or 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?

6 B ut I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.

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

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

And 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.

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

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

9 H e departed there, and went into their synagogue.

And going on from there, He went into their synagogue.

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

And 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.

11 H e said to them, “What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it, and lift it out?

But 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?

12 O f how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.”

How 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.

13 T hen he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other.

Then 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.

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

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

15 J esus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed him; and he healed them all,

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

16 a nd commanded them that they should not make him known:

And strictly charged them and sharply warned them not to make Him publicly known.

17 t hat it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

This was in fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah,

18 “ Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him. He will proclaim justice to the nations.

Behold, 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.

19 H e will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

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

20 H e won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory.

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.

21 I n his name, the nations will hope.”

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

22 T hen one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

Then 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.

23 A ll the multitudes were amazed, and said, “Can this be the son of David?”

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

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

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

25 K nowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

And 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.

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

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

27 I f I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

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

28 B ut if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you.

But 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].

29 O r how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.

Or 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.

30 “ He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.

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

31 T herefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

Therefore 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.

32 W hoever 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 that which is to come.

And 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.

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

Either 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.

34 Y ou offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

You 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.

35 T he good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.

The 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.

36 I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

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

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

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

38 T hen certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

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

39 B ut he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

But 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.

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

For 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.

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

The 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!

42 T he queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here.

The 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.

43 W hen an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn’t find it.

But 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.

44 T hen he says, ‘I will return into my house from which I came out,’ and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

Then 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.

45 T hen he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation.”

Then 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.

46 W hile he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him.

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

47 O ne said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you.”

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

48 B ut he answered him who spoke to him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

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

49 H e stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers!

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

50 F or whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!