Matthew:12

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* At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath . And His disciples were hungry , and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat . * And when the Pharisees saw it , they said to Him , "Look , Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath !" * But He said to them , "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry , he and those who were with him : * how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat , nor for those who were with him , but only for the priests ? * Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath , and are blameless ? * Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple . * But if you had known what this means , "I desire mercy and not sacrifice ,' you would not have condemned the guiltless . * For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath ." * Now when He had departed from there , He went into their synagogue . * And behold , there was a man who had a withered hand . And they asked Him , saying , "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath ?"--that they might accuse Him . * Then He said to them , "What man is there among you who has one sheep , and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath , will not lay hold of it and lift it out ? * Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep ? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath ." * Then He said to the man , "Stretch out your hand ." And he stretched it out , and it was restored as whole as the other . * Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him , how they might destroy Him . * But when Jesus knew it , He withdrew from there . And great multitudes followed Him , and He healed them all . * Yet He warned them not to make Him known , * that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet , saying : * "Behold ! My Servant whom I have chosen , My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased ! I will put My Spirit upon Him , And He will declare justice to the Gentiles . * He will not quarrel nor cry out , Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets . * A bruised reed He will not break , And smoking flax He will not quench , Till He sends forth justice to victory ; * And in His name Gentiles will trust ." * Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed , blind and mute ; and He healed him , so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw . * And all the multitudes were amazed and said , "Could this be the Son of David ?" * Now when the Pharisees heard it they said , "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub , the ruler of the demons ." * But Jesus knew their thoughts , and said to them : "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation , and every city or house divided against itself will not stand . * If Satan casts out Satan , he is divided against himself . How then will his kingdom stand ? * And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub , by whom do your sons cast them out ? Therefore they shall be your judges . * But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God , surely the kingdom of God has come upon you . * Or how can one enter a strong man 's house and plunder his goods , unless he first binds the strong man ? And then he will plunder his house . * He who is not with Me is against Me , and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad . * "Therefore I say to you , every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men , but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men . * Anyone who 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 , either in this age or in the age to come . * "Either make the tree good and its fruit good , or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad ; for a tree is known by its fruit . * Brood of vipers ! How can you , being evil , speak good things ? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks . * A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things , and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things . * But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak , they will give account of it in the day of judgment . * For by your words you will be justified , and by your words you will be condemned ." * Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered , saying , "Teacher , we want to see a sign from You ." * But He answered and said to them , "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign , and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah . * For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish , so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth . * The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it , because they repented at the preaching of Jonah ; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here . * The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it , for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here . * "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man , he goes through dry places , seeking rest , and finds none . * Then he says , "I will return to my house from which I came .' And when he comes , he finds it empty , swept , and put in order . * Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself , and they enter and dwell there ; and the last state of that man is worse than the first . So shall it also be with this wicked generation ." * While He was still talking to the multitudes , behold , His mother and brothers stood outside , seeking to speak with Him . * Then one said to Him , "Look , Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside , seeking to speak with You ." * But He answered and said to the one who told Him , "Who is My mother and who are My brothers ?" * And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said , "Here are My mother and My brothers ! * For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother ."

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