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¹ At that time Jesus, on the sabbath, walked in the tillage grounds: and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears and to eat.² And when the Pharisees saw them, they said to him: See; thy disciples are doing that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.³ But he said to them, Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him?⁴ How he went to the house of God, and ate the bread of the Lord's table; which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but solely for the priests?⁵ Or have ye not read in the law, how that in the temple the priests profane the sabbath, and are without fault?⁶ But I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here.⁷ And if ye had known what that is, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; ye would not have criminated them who are without fault.⁸ For the Son of man, is lord of the sabbath.⁹ And Jesus went from there, and came to their synagogue.¹⁰ And a man was there, whose hand was withered. And they questioned him and said, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? that they might defame him.¹¹ And he said to them, What man among you is there, who, if he have a sheep, and it fall into a pit on the day of the sabbath, doth not lay hold of it and lift it out?¹² Now, how much better is a human being than a sheep ! Wherefore it is lawful to do what is good, on the sabbath.¹³ Then said he to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched out his hand; and it was restored, and like the other.

¹⁴ And the Pharisees went out and held a consultation against him, that they might destroy him.¹⁵ But Jesus knew [fn] ; and he retired from there. And great multitudes followed him: and he cured them all. ¹⁶ And he charged them not to make him known:¹⁷ that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, saying:¹⁸ Behold my servant, in whom I have complacency; my beloved, in whom my soul delighteth. I will put my spirit upon him; and he shall proclaim judgment to the Gentiles.¹⁹ He shall not contend, nor be clamorous, nor shall any one hear his voice in the market-place.²⁰ The crushed reed he will not break; and the flickering lamp he will not extinguish; until he bring judgment to be victorious.²¹ And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

²² Then they brought to him a demoniac that was dumb and blind; and he healed him, so that the dumb and blind man both talked and saw.²³ And all the multitude were amazed, and said: Is not this the son of David?²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard [fn] , they said: This man doth not cast out demons, except by Beelzebub the prince of demons. ²⁵ And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: Every kingdom that is divided against itself, will become desolate; and every house or city which is divided against itself, will not stand.²⁶ Now if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then doth his kingdom stand?²⁷ And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Wherefore they will be your judges.²⁸ But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, the kingdom of God hath come near to you.²⁹ Or how can one enter the house of a strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? and then he may plunder his house.³⁰ He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me actually scattereth.³¹ Therefore I say to you, that all sins and contumelies shall be forgiven to men; but the contumely which is against the Spirit, shall not be forgiven to men.³² And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him: but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him;not in this world, and not in the world to come.³³ Either make the tree good, and its fruits good; or make the tree bad, and its fruits bad: for a tree is known by its fruits.³⁴ Offspring of vipers, how can ye who are evil, speak good things? For out of the fullnesses of the heart the mouth speaketh.³⁵ A good man out of good treasures bringeth forth good things, and a bad man out of bad treasures bringeth forth bad things.³⁶ For I say to you, That for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.³⁷ For by thy words thou shalt be justified; and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

³⁸ Then answered some of the Scribes and of the Pharisees, and said to him: Teacher, we wish to see from thee a sign.³⁹ But he replied and said to them: A wicked and adulterous generation demandeth a sign: but a sign will not be given to it, unless it be the sign of Jonah the prophet.⁴⁰ For as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights; so will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.⁴¹ The people of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and lo, a greater than Jonah is here.⁴² The queen of the south will stand up in the judgment against this generation, and will condemn it: for she came from the extremities of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and lo, a superior to Solomon is here.⁴³ And when an unclean spirit goeth out of a man, it wandereth in places where is no water, and seeketh comfort and findeth [fn] not. ⁴⁴ Then it saith: I will return to my house, from which I came out. And it cometh, and findeth it vacated, and swept clean, and set in order.⁴⁵ So it goeth and taketh with it seven other spirits, worse than itself, and they enter and dwell in it; and the end of that man is worse than his beginning. So will it be to this evil generation.

⁴⁶ And while he was discoursing to the multitudes, his mother and his brothers came and stood with out, and sought to speak with him.⁴⁷ And a person said to him: Lo, thy mother and thy brothers stand without, and seek to speak with thee.⁴⁸ But he replied, and said to him that informed him: Who is my mother? and who are my brothers?⁴⁹ And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said: Behold my mother, and behold my brothers!⁵⁰ For every one that doeth the good pleasure of my Father who is in heaven, that person is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.