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¹ At that season Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat.² But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, Look, your disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.³ But he said to them, Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those that were with him;⁴ how he entered into the house of God, and they ate the showbread, which it wasn't lawful for him to eat, neither for those that were with him, but only for the priests?⁵ Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are innocent?⁶ But I say to you, that one greater than the temple is here.⁷ But if you had known what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent.⁸ For the Son of man is lord of the Sabbath.⁹ And he departed from there, and went into their synagogue:¹⁰ and look, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? that they might accuse him.¹¹ And he said to them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?¹² How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.¹³ Then he says to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other.

¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.¹⁵ And Jesus perceiving [it] withdrew from there: and many crowds followed him; and he healed them all,¹⁶ and charged them that they should not make him known:¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,¹⁸ Look, my slave whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him, And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.¹⁹ He shall not strive, nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets.²⁰ A bruised reed he shall not break, And smoking flax he shall not quench, Until he sends forth judgment to victory.²¹ And in his name shall the Gentiles hope.

²² Then was brought to him one possessed with a demon, blind and mute: and he healed him, insomuch that the mute man spoke and saw.²³ And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David?²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man does not cast out demons, but by Beelzebul the prince of the demons.²⁵ And knowing their thoughts he said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:²⁶ and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?²⁷ And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.²⁸ But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.²⁹ Or how can one enter into the house of the strong [man,] and spoil his goods, except he first binds the strong [man]? and then he will spoil his house.³⁰ He that is not with me is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters.³¹ Therefore I say to you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.³² And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is 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.³⁴ You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.³⁵ The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil things.³⁶ And I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.³⁷ For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

³⁸ Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.³⁹ But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:⁴⁰ for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.⁴¹ The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and look, a greater than Jonah is here.⁴² The 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 look, a greater than Solomon is here.⁴³ But the unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it.⁴⁴ Then he says, I will return into my house from where I came out; and when he has come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.⁴⁵ Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so it shall be also to this evil generation.

⁴⁶ While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, look, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him.⁴⁷ And one said to him, Look, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you.⁴⁸ But he answered and said to him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brothers?⁴⁹ And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Look, my mother and my brothers!⁵⁰ For whoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.