1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and eat them. 2 But when the Pharisees saw that, they said to Jesus, “See, your disciples do what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 But Jesus said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was hungry, and the men who were with him? 4 He went into the house of God and ate the bread of the presence, which was unlawful for him to eat and unlawful for those who were with him, but lawful only for the priests. 5 Have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath but are guiltless? 6 But I say to you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what this meant, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 9 Then Jesus left from there and went into their synagogue. 10 Behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse him of sinning. 11 Jesus said to them, “What man would there be among you, who, if he had just one sheep, and if this sheep fell into a deep hole on the Sabbath, would not grasp hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable, then, is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored to health, just like the other hand. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him. They were seeking how they might put him to death. 15 As Jesus perceived this, he withdrew from there. Many people followed him, and he healed them all. 16 He commanded them not to make him known to others, 17 that it might come true, what had been said through Isaiah the prophet, saying, 18 “See, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved one, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not strive nor cry aloud; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20 He will not break any bruised reed; he will not quench any smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory, 21 and in his name the Gentiles will have certain hope.” 22 Then someone blind and mute, possessed by a demon, was brought to Jesus. He healed him, with the result that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this man be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard of this miracle, they said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” 25 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 How can anyone enter the house of the strong man and steal his belongings without tying up the strong man first? Then he will steal his belongings from his house. 30 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks any word against the Son of Man, that will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, that will not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. 33 Make a tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You offspring of vipers, since you are evil, how can you say good things? For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 35 The good man from the good treasure of his heart produces what is good, and the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart produces what is evil. 36 I say to you that in the day of judgment people will give an account for every idle word they will have said. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” 38 Then certain scribes and Pharisees answered Jesus and said, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But Jesus answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. But no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the big fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation of people and will condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see, someone greater than Solomon is here. 43 When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest, but does not find it. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' Having returned, it finds that house swept out and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first. It will be just like that with this evil generation.” 46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him. 47 Someone said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you.” 48 But Jesus answered and said to him who told him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49 Then he stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, “See, here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, that person is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Matthew · Unlocked Literal Bible
Matthew 12 Unlocked Literal Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (49)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Deuteronomy 23:25; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5
- 2 Matthew 12:10; John 7:21–24; Exodus 20:9–11; Mark 3:2–5; Exodus 31:15–17
- 3 1 Samuel 21:3–6; Luke 6:3; Mark 2:25–26; Matthew 21:16; Mark 12:10
- 4 Leviticus 24:5–9; Exodus 25:30; Exodus 29:32–33; Leviticus 8:31
- 5 Numbers 28:9–10; John 7:22–23
- 6 Matthew 12:41–42; 2 Chronicles 6:18; 1 Peter 2:4–5; Malachi 3:1; Haggai 2:7–9
- 7 Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13; Micah 6:6–8; Isaiah 1:11–17; Proverbs 17:15
- 8 Luke 6:5; Mark 2:28; John 5:17–23; Mark 9:4–7; Matthew 9:6
- 9 Luke 6:6–11; Mark 3:1–6
- 10 Luke 13:14; John 9:16; John 8:6; Matthew 22:17–18; Luke 11:54
- 11 Deuteronomy 22:4; Luke 14:5; Luke 13:15–17; Exodus 23:4–5
- 12 Matthew 6:26; Luke 6:9; Mark 3:4; Matthew 10:31; Luke 12:24
- 13 Luke 13:13; Acts 3:7–8
- 14 John 11:53; Luke 6:11; Mark 3:6; John 10:39; John 5:18
- 15 Mark 3:7–12; Matthew 10:23; John 7:1; Matthew 19:2; John 11:54
- 16 Matthew 9:30; Matthew 8:4; Matthew 17:9; Mark 7:36; Luke 5:14–15
- 17 Isaiah 42:1–4; Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 41:22–23; Matthew 13:35; Matthew 21:4
- 18 Isaiah 42:1; Luke 4:18; John 3:34; Acts 10:38; Isaiah 61:1–3
- 19 Matthew 11:29; 2 Timothy 2:24–25; John 18:36–38; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Luke 17:20
- 20 Isaiah 42:3–4; Ezekiel 34:16; Isaiah 61:1–3; Luke 4:18; Psalm 147:3
- 21 Isaiah 11:10; Romans 15:12–13; Isaiah 42:4; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 1:12–13
- 22 Luke 11:14–15; Mark 7:35–37; Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 35:5–6; Acts 26:18
- 23 Matthew 9:27; John 4:29; Matthew 22:42–43; Matthew 9:33; John 7:40–42
- 24 Mark 3:22; Matthew 9:34; Luke 11:15
- 25 Galatians 5:15; Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 9:4; Mark 3:23–27; 1 Corinthians 2:11
- 26 Colossians 1:13; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 20:2–3; John 12:31; Revelation 12:9
- 27 Mark 9:38–39; Acts 19:13–16; Luke 9:49–50; Luke 11:19; Romans 3:19
- 28 Luke 11:20; Daniel 7:14; Matthew 6:33; Acts 10:38; Colossians 1:13
- 29 Isaiah 49:24; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21–22; 1 John 4:4; Revelation 20:7–9
- 30 Mark 9:40; Luke 11:23; Joshua 24:15; Luke 9:50; 1 John 2:19
- 31 Luke 12:10; Mark 3:28–30; Hebrews 10:29; Hebrews 10:26; Acts 7:51
- 32 Mark 3:29; Hebrews 10:26–29; Hebrews 6:4–6; Luke 12:10; Matthew 12:31
- 33 Luke 6:43–44; Matthew 7:16–20; James 4:8; John 15:4–7; Matthew 3:8–10
- 34 Luke 6:45; Matthew 15:18; Ephesians 4:29; 1 Samuel 24:13; James 3:5–8
- 35 Colossians 4:6; Proverbs 15:4; Proverbs 15:28; Colossians 3:16; Proverbs 25:11–12
- 36 Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 2:16; Revelation 20:12; Jude 14–15; Ephesians 6:4–6
- 37 Proverbs 13:3; James 2:21–25
- 38 1 Corinthians 1:22; Mark 8:11–12; Luke 11:29; John 2:18; Luke 11:16
- 39 Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29–32; James 4:4; Isaiah 57:3; Mark 8:38
- 40 Jonah 1:17; Matthew 27:63–64; John 2:19; Matthew 17:23; Matthew 16:21
- 41 Matthew 12:42; Hebrews 11:7; Romans 2:27; John 3:31; Matthew 12:6
- 42 1 Kings 10:1–13; 2 Chronicles 9:1–12; Hebrews 1:2–4; Luke 11:31–32; John 1:14
- 43 Luke 11:24–26; Luke 8:28–32; Matthew 8:29; Mark 5:7–13; Amos 8:11–13
- 44 1 John 4:4; 1 John 2:19; Psalm 81:11–12; Revelation 13:8–9; Jude 4–5
- 45 Luke 11:26; Hebrews 6:4–8; Mark 5:9; Hebrews 10:26–31; 2 Peter 2:14–22
- 46 Matthew 13:55; John 7:3; John 2:12; John 7:5; Mark 3:31–35
- 48 Mark 3:32–33; Matthew 10:37; Luke 2:52; Deuteronomy 33:9; John 2:3–4
- 49 Mark 3:34; John 17:20; John 20:17–20; Matthew 28:7; John 17:8–9
- 50 Luke 8:21; Mark 3:35; John 15:14; Matthew 28:10; Luke 11:27–28
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
There has been a great question raised touching the late lesson of the Gospel, to the solution of which I am unequal by any power of mine own; but "our sufficiency is of God," to whatever degree we are capable of receiving His aid.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
But Luke saith, "On a double Sabbath." Now what is a double Sabbath? When the cessation from toil is twofold, both that of the regular Sabbath, and that of another feast coming upon it. For they call every cessation from toil, a sabbath.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For when the unclean spirit of folly has gone forth, and when afterwards he finds them not waiting upon God, but occupied with mere worldly questions, then, "taking seven other spirits more wicked than himself," and inflating the minds of these men with the notion of their being able to conceive of something beyond God, and having fitly prepared them …
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the utter most parts of the earth to hear the words of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here." Two things we learn from this passage, that a judgment is to take place, and that it …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Whereas, if they were in discord, neither could this have been pointed out, and the doctrine itself had long since been brought to nought: "for every kingdom," saith He, "divided against itself shall not stand." But now even in this shines forth the might of the Spirit, namely, in that it prevailed on these men, engaged as they were in …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)