Matthew 12

Lord of the Sabbath

1 In that opportune-time1 Jesus went through [a] corn-field on the Sabbath, and his disciples hungered, and began to be plucking the ears and eating. 2 But the Pharisees having seen [this] said to him: Behold your disciples do that which is not allowed to be doing on the Sabbath. 3 But he said to them: Do you not know what David did, when he and those with him hungered? 4 How he entered into the house of God and they ate the shew- bread, which was not allowed for him nor those with him to eat, but only for the priests alone? 5 Or do you not know in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless? 6 But I say to you that here [is] something2 greater than [the] temple. 7 But if you knew what this is:
I desire mercy and not [a] sacrifice.3
you would not have condemned the blameless. 8 For the son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.

9 And proceeding on from there he came into their synagogue. 10 And behold [there was a] man having [a] shriveled hand. And they asked him saying: Is it allowed to heal on the Sabbath? in order that they may denounce him. 11 But he said to them, What man among you, who will have one sheep, and if this [sheep] fall into [a] pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of [it] and raise [it] out? 12 Therefore [a] man is worth much more than [a] sheep. Therefore it is allowed on the Sabbath to do good. 13 Then he says to the man: Be stretching forth your hand. And he stretched it out, and it was restored healthy like the other. 14 But when they came out the Pharisees took council against him how they may destroy him.

God's Special Servant

15 But Jesus having known [this] went out from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all, 16 and he commanded them that they not make him known, 17 in order that what was said by Isaiah the prophet be fulfilled when he says4:
18 Behold my son whom I chose
My agape-beloved who pleases my psyche-life5
I will place my spirit upon him
And he will report judgment to the nations,
19 He will not strive nor cry out
Nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
20 [A] bruised reed he will not break
And [a] smoking cord he will not put out
Until judgment be cast out to victory
21 And the nations hope in his name.

Jesus and Beelzebul

22 Then there was brought to him [a] blind and mute demon-possessed. And he healed him, so that the mute [one is] speaking and seeing. 23 And all the crowd was astonished and was saying: Is not this [one] the son of David? 24 But the Pharisees having heard [this] said: This [one] does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub the ruler of demons. 25 But knowing their thoughts he said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself becomes [a] wasteland, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he has divided against himself. How therefore will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast out demons? Because of this they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has overtaken you. 29 Or how is anyone able to enter into the house of the strong man and carry off his goods unless the strong man first be bound? And then he will ravish his house. 30 The [one] not being with me is against me, and the [one] not gathering with me scatters. 31 Because of this I say to you, every sin and slander will be forgiven men, but the slander of the spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever should say [a] word against the son of man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever should say [a word] against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him neither in this age nor in the one to come.

Trees and their Fruit

33 You will either make the tree good and its fruit good, or you will make the tree and its fruit rotten. 34 Generation of vipers, how can you speak good, [You] being wicked6 ? For the mouth speaks out of the fullness of the heart. 35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth [the] good, and the wicked6 man out of his wicked6 treasure brings forth [the] wicked6. 36 But I say to you that every idle word7 that men will speak, they will require from him [a] word8 in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words8 you will be justified, and by your words8 you will be condemned.

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees distinguished themselves to him saying: O teacher, we desire from you to see [a] sign. 39 But answering them he said to them: [a] wicked6 and adulterous generation seeks [a] sign, and [a] sign will not be given to [it] except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale9 three days and three nights, thus will the son of man be in the heart of the land three days and three nights. 41 The men of Ninevah will rise up in the judgment against this generation and will bring judgment against it, because they repented in the proclamation of Jonah, and behold here [is] [one] greater than Jonah. 42 [The] queen of [the] south will rise in the judgment against this generation and will bring judgment against it, because she came from the other side of the land to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold here [is] [one] greater than Solomon.

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

43 But whenever the unclean spirit goes out from the man, it passes through dry regions seeking rest, and it does not find [it]. 44 Then he says: I will return to my house from where I came, and having come he finds it vacated and swept and set in order. 45 Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more wicked6 than himself, and having entered in they set up house there. And the latter state of that man is worse than the first. Thus it will also be for this wicked6 generation.

Jesus's True Family

46 While he was speaking to the crowd, behold his mother and brothers had stood out seeking to speak to him. 47 10 And someone said to him: Behold your mother and brothers have stood out seeking to speak to you. 48 But answering he said to him saying to him: Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? 49 And having stretched out his hand over his disciples he said: Behold my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my father in the heavens, he himself is my brother and my sister and my mother.

1KAIROS (καιρoς ) `opportune time', `proper time', `season'

2or "someone"

3Hos.6:6

4Isa.42:1-4

5from PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. Animals have PSYCHEs as well as humans. Contrast ZOE (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected.

6PONEROS (πoνηρoς ) here. The Greek word KAKOS (κακoς ) is always translated `evil', PONEROS is usually translated as `wicked' although occasionally as `bad'; it can also mean 'diseased', 'sickly' and is thus translated where appropriate. Like KAKOS, PONEROS also means `evil', but the harm that evil does is more in view, where KAKOS is more `evil as evil'.

7RHMA ("RAY-mah") (ρημα) 'word' in the sense of an utterance, as opposed to LOGOS which is more like what that utterance means (LOGOS). Something like: 'friend' and 'amigo' are different RHMAs, but the same LOGOS. RHMA is also used of a body of teaching.

8LOGOS (λoγoς ) 'word' in the sense of the concept behind it, as opposed to RHMA which is the utterance itself. Something like: 'friend' and 'amigo' are different RHMAs, but the same LOGOS. LOGOS is also used of 'accounting' (in the sense of keeping track of money).

9or "big fish," "sea monster"

10Include vs. 47: DWK vg; omit vs 47: ℵB