A HOUSE DIVIDED

20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.A 21 When his familya heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”b

22 The scribesc who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”d and, “He drives oute demonsf by the rulerg of the demons.”h

23 So he summonedi them and spoke to them in parables:j “How can Satank drive out Satan?l 24 If a kingdomm is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties upn the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemieso they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemesp against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness,q but is guiltyr of an eternal sin”B,s—30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”t