Matthew 12
KJV Easy Read Bible

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.   DEU 23:25

2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, Behold, Your disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

3But He said to them, Have youp not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him;

4How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?   consecrated bread

5Or have youp not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?   break

6But I say to youp, That in this place is One greater than the temple.

7But if youp had known what this means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, youp would not have condemned the guiltless.   HOS 6:6

8For the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Healing on the Sabbath

9And when He was departed from there, He went into their synagogue:

10And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse Him.

11And He said to them, What man shall there be among youp, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?   take

12How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13Then says He to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

14Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Behold, My Servant

15But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew Himself from there: and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all;

16And charged them that they should not make Him known:   commanded

17That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,   ISA 42:1–2

18Behold My servant, whom I have chosen; My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon him, and He shall show judgment to the Gentiles.

19He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets.

20A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment to victory.

21And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.

A House Divided Cannot Stand

22Then was brought to Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw.   demon; mute

23And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow does not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.   demons; Satan

25And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:   ruin

26And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

27And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do yourp children cast them out? therefore they shall be yourp judges.

28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come to youp.

29Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.   plunder

30He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathers not with Me scatters abroad.

The Unpardonable Sin

31Wherefore I say to youp, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven to men.   slander; Spirit

32And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

A Tree Known by Its Fruit

33Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.

34O generation of vipers, how can youp, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

36But I say to youp, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign

38Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from You.

39But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah:   unfaithful

40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.   JON 1:17

41The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.   2 CHRON 9:1; 1 KGS 10:1 | referring to the Queen of Sheba

An Unclean Spirit Returns

43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.   evil

44Then he says, I will return into my house from where I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.   in order

45Then goes he, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also to this wicked generation.

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him

46While He yet talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood outside, desiring to speak with Him.

47Then one said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brethren stand outside desiring to speak with You.

48But He answered and said to him that told Him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren?

49And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren!   see

50For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.





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