¹ About that time Jesus passed on the Sabbath through the wheatfields; and His disciples became hungry, and began to gather ears of wheat and eat them.

² But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, "Look! your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath."

³ "Have you never read," He replied, "what David did when he and his men were hungry?

⁴ how he entered the House of God and ate the Presented Loaves, which it was not lawful for him or his men to eat, nor for any except the priests?

⁵ And have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath without incurring guilt?

⁶ But I tell you that there is here that which is greater than the Temple.

⁷ And if you knew what this means, <`It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice'>, you would not have condemned those who are without guilt.

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

⁹ Departing thence He went to their synagogue,

¹⁰ where there was a man with a shrivelled arm. And they questioned Him, "Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath?" Their intention was to bring a charge against Him.

¹¹ "Which of you is there," He replied, "who, if he has but a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?

¹² Is not a man, however, far superior to a sheep? Therefore it is right to do good on the Sabbath."

¹³ Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." And he stretched it out, and it was restored quite sound like the other.

¹⁴ But the Pharisees after leaving the synagogue consulted together against Him, how they might destroy Him.

¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus departed elsewhere; and a great number of people followed Him, all of whom He cured.

¹⁶ But He gave them strict injunctions not to blaze abroad His doings,

¹⁷ that those words of the Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled,

¹⁸ <"This is My servant whom I have chosen, My dearly loved One in whom My soul takes pleasure. I will put My spirit upon Him, and He will announce justice to the nations.

¹⁹ He will not wrangle or raise His voice, nor will His voice be heard in the broadways.

²⁰ A crushed reed He will not utterly break, nor will He quench the still smouldering wick, until He has led on Justice to victory.

²¹ And on His name shall the nations rest their hopes.">

²² At that time a demoniac was brought to Him, blind and dumb; and He cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see.

²³ And the crowds of people were all filled with amazement and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"

²⁴ The Pharisees heard it and said, "This man only expels demons by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of demons."

²⁵ Knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war has raged suffers desolation; and every city or house in which there is internal strife will be brought low.

²⁶ And if Satan is expelling Satan, he has begun to make war on himself: how therefore shall his kingdom last?

²⁷ And if it is by Baal-zebul's power that I expel the demons, by whose power do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges.

²⁸ But if it is by the power of the Spirit of God that I expel the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹ Again, how can any one enter the house of a strong man and carry off his goods, unless first of all he masters and secures the strong man: then he will ransack his house.

³⁰ "The man who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.

³¹ This is why I tell you that men may find forgiveness for every other sin and impious word, but that for impious speaking against the Holy Spirit they shall find no forgiveness.

³² And whoever shall speak against the Son of Man may obtain forgiveness; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, neither in this nor in the coming age shall he obtain forgiveness."

³³ "Either grant the tree to be wholesome and its fruit wholesome, or the tree poisonous and its fruit poisonous; for the tree is known by its fruit.

³⁴ O vipers' brood, how can you speak what is good when you are evil? For it is from the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks.

³⁵ A good man from his good store produces good things, and a bad man from his bad store produces bad things.

³⁶ But I tell you that for every careless word that men shall speak they will be held accountable on the day of Judgement.

³⁷ For each of you by his words shall be justified, or by his words shall be condemned."

³⁸ Then He was accosted by some of the Scribes and of the Pharisees who said, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign given by you."

³⁹ "Wicked and faithless generation!" He replied, "they clamour for a sign, but none shall be given to them except the sign of the Prophet Jonah.

⁴⁰ For just as three days in the sea-monster's belly,> so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹ There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and mark! there is One greater than Jonah here.

⁴² The Queen of the south will awake at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and mark! there is One greater than Solomon here.

⁴³ "No sooner however has the foul spirit gone out of the man, then he roams about in places where there is no water, seeking rest but finding none.

⁴⁴ Then he says, `I will return to my house that I left;' and he comes and finds it unoccupied, swept clean, and in good order.

⁴⁵ Then he goes and brings back with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they come in and dwell there; and in the end that man's condition becomes worse than it was at first. So will it be also with the present wicked generation."

⁴⁶ While He was still addressing the people His mother and His brothers were standing on the edge of the crowd desiring to speak to Him.

⁴⁷ So some one told Him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and desire to speak to you."

⁴⁸ "Who is my mother?" He said to the man; "and who are my brothers?"

⁴⁹ And pointing to His disciples He added, "See here are my mother and my brothers.

⁵⁰ To obey my Father who is in Heaven--that is to be my brother and my sister and my mother."