Matthew 12

1About that time Jesus was walking through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.

2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him: Look! Your disciples are doing what is not allowed on the Sabbath.

3Jesus answered: Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry?

4David went into the house of God, and they ate the holy bread, which was not allowed for him or his men to eat, but only for the priests.

5Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath rule and yet are not guilty?

6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

7If you had known what this means — I want mercy, not sacrifice — you would not have judged these innocent men guilty.

8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

9Jesus went on from there and entered their synagogue.

10A man with a crippled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, the Pharisees asked Him: Is it right to heal on the Sabbath?

11Jesus said to them: If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?

12And a person is worth far more than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the Sabbath.

13Then Jesus said to the man: Hold out your hand. The man held it out, and it was made as healthy as the other one.

14But the Pharisees went out and made plans to kill Jesus.

15Knowing this, Jesus left that place. Many people followed Him, and He healed all of them,

16Warning them not to tell others who He was.

17This happened so that the words of the prophet Isaiah would come true:

18Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, the one I love, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit on Him, and He will announce justice to the nations.

19He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear His voice in the streets.

20He will not break a bent reed or put out a flickering candle, until He brings justice to victory.

21And the nations will put their hope in His name.

22Then some people brought to Jesus a man who had a demon and was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him, so that he could both speak and see.

23All the people were amazed and said: Could this be the Son of David?

24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said: This man drives out demons only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

25Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them: Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed, and every city or family that fights against itself will not stand.

26If Satan drives out Satan, he is fighting against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?

27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your own people drive them out? So they will be your judges.

28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

29How can anyone go into a strong man's house and steal his things unless that person first ties up the strong man? Then that person can rob the house.

30Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

31So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin and insult against God. But the insult against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

33Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. A tree is known by its fruit.

34You family of snakes! How can you say anything good when you are evil? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

35A good person brings good things out of the good stored up in that person, and an evil person brings evil things out of the evil stored up in that person.

36I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an account for every careless word they have spoken.

37By your words you will be cleared, and by your words you will be found guilty.

38Then some of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees said to Him: Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from You.

39Jesus answered: Only an evil and unfaithful people look for a sign. But none will be given to them except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with the people of this time and will say they are guilty. For the people of Nineveh turned from their sins when Jonah preached, and now something greater than Jonah is here.

42The Queen of the South will stand up at the judgment with the people of this time and will say they are guilty. For she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

43When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry places looking for rest and does not find any.

44Then it says: I will go back to the home I left. When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and in order.

45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there. And that person ends up worse than before. That is how it will be with the evil people of this time.

46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.

47Someone told Him: Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.

48Jesus answered: Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?

49Then Jesus pointed to His disciples and said: Here are my mother and my brothers.

50For whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother and sister and mother.