Chapter 3

¹He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had his hand withered. ²They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. ³He said to the man who had his hand withered, “Stand up.” ⁴He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” But they were silent. ⁵When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other. ⁶The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

⁷Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea, ⁸from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him. ⁹He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him. ¹⁰For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him. ¹¹The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, “You are the Son of God!” ¹²He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.

¹³He went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him. ¹⁴He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach, ¹⁵and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: ¹⁶Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; ¹⁷James the son of Zebedee; John, the brother of James, and he surnamed them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder; ¹⁸Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot; ¹⁹and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

He came into a house. ²⁰The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. ²¹When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, “He is insane.” ²²The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”

²³He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end. ²⁷But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house. ²⁸Most assuredly I tell you, all of the children of men’s sins will be forgiven them, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; ²⁹but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” ³⁰„because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

³¹His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. ³²A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters¹³⁶¹³⁶TR omits “your sisters” are outside looking for you.”

³³He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! ³⁵For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”