Open English Translation MAT Chapter 12

12 [ref]At that time, Yeshua was going through some fields of grain on a rest day, and his apprentices were hungry and began to pluck some heads of grain and crunch them. 2 But some from the Pharisees party saw them and said, “Look, your followers are harvesting when it’s not permitted to harvest on a rest day.”

3 [ref]“Haven’t you read about what David did when him and his fighters were hungry?” Yeshua responded. 4 [ref]He went into God’s tent and they ate the Bread of the Presence which none of them were allowed to eat—only the priests. 5 [ref]Or haven’t you understood that when the priests work in the temple on the rest day, it’s against the law and yet they’re innocent? 6 But I’m telling you that someone greater than the temple is here. 7 [ref]But you all should have known that what I want is mercy over sacrifices—you shouldn’t have convicted the innocent 8 because humanity’s child is the master over the rest day.

9 After leaving that place, Yeshua went into the Jewish meeting hall, 10 and look, there was a man there with a clawed fist. So the people there asked Yeshua if it was permitted to heal people on the rest days.

11 [ref]“Which of you,” Yeshua responded, “if you owned a single sheep and it fell into a pit on a rest day, wouldn’t then grab hold of it and lift it out? 12 Now a human is worth much more than a sheep, so then it must be permissible to do good on a rest day.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

The man stretched his hand out and it was restored—now just as healthy as the other one, 14 but the Pharisees came out and sought legal advice because they wanted to ruin Yeshua.

15 Yeshua knew what they were trying to do, so he left that place. A lot of people followed along after him and he healed them all 16 but warned them not to reveal who he was 17 in order to fulfil what the prophet Isayah had written:

18 [ref]‘See my servant who I chose,

the one I dearly love and who my soul takes pleasure in.

I will place my spirit on him

and he will bring justice to the nations.

19 He won’t be arguing or yelling out,

and no one on the roads will hear his voice.

20 He won’t break off a bruised reed

and certainly won’t extinguish a smoldering wick

before he sends justice forward into victory.

21 The other nations will put their hope in his name and authority.’

22 Then a man possessed by evil spirits was brought to Yeshua. He was blind and unable to speak, but Yeshua healed him so that he could both speak and see. 23 All the people were amazed and were saying, “Surely this must be the promised descendant of David?”

24 [ref]When the Pharisees’ party heard about that, they said, “That man is only driving out demons because he’s Beelzebul, the leader of the demons.”

25 But Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, said, “Every kingdom that’s divided against itself is doomed, and any city or household that’s divided against itself will self-destruct. 26 If Satan is driving out Satan, then he’s divided against himself and how could his kingdom possibly be established? 27 And if I’m driving out demons by Beelzebul, then by who are your sons driving them out? 28 But if I am driving out demons by God’s spirit, then that must mean that God’s kingdom has already arrived among you all.

29 “How can someone go into the house of a strong man and steal his goods if they don’t tie him up first? Only then can his home be plundered.

30 [ref]“Anyone who’s not for me is against me, and anyone who isn’t helping me gather others is scattering them. 31 That’s why I’m telling you that people can be forgiven for all kinds of sin and slander, except that slandering God’s spirit won’t be forgiven. 32 [ref]Anyone who speaks out against humanity’s child can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks out against the holy spirit won’t be forgiven either in this age or in the coming one.

33 [ref]“Either make both the tree and its fruit good, or make them both bad, because a tree is known by its fruit. 34 [ref]You brood of snakes! You’re evil inside so why do you think you can say anything that’s good because your mouths speak out of what’s plentiful in your hearts. 35 A good person produces good words out of their store of goodness, and an evil person produces evil words out of their store of evil.

36 “But I’m telling you that people will have to give an account on judgement day for every worthless sentence that they’ve spoken, 37 because you’ll be either be convicted, or be declared guiltless, by the things that you yourself have said.”

38 [ref]Then some of the teachers of the law and some from the Pharisees’ party responded to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 [ref]“It’s an evil and adulterous generation that’s looking for a sign,” answered Yeshua, “and no sign will be given to it apart from the sign of the prophet Yonah. 40 [ref]Because just like Yonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, in the same way humanity’s child will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 [ref]The inhabitants of Nineveh will stand up and condemn this generation on judgement day, because they turned from their sins when Yonah preached, and look, now there’s one here who’s greater than Yonah. 42 [ref]The queen of the south will get up and condemn this generation on judgement day, because she travelled a great distance to hear King Solomon’s wisdom, and look, now there’s one here who’s greater than Solomon.

43 “Whenever an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid lands looking for a place to rest, and doesn’t find any. 44 So it says to itself, ‘I’ll go back to the house that I just left.’ Then when it gets back, it finds that it’s not only unoccupied, but it’s been swept and tidied up. 45 So it goes and find seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all go to live there, so the later state of that person is worse that it was at the beginning. So now, it’ll be just like that for this evil generation.”

46 While Yeshua was still talking to the crowd, his mother and siblings stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your siblings are outside, waiting to speak with you.”

48 “Who’s my mother and who are my siblings?” Yeshua answered to that person. 49 Then extending his hand around to his followers he said, “See, these are my mother and my siblings, 50 because anyone who obeys my father in the heavens is my brother and my sister and my mother.”