Matthew 12:1–12
12 At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath.s His disciplest were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawfulu to do on the Sabbath.”
3 He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: 4 how he entered the house of God, and they ateJ the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?v 5 Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?w 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.x 7 If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice,K,y you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”z
THE MAN WITH THE SHRIVELED HAND
9 Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue.aa 10 There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”ab
11 He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?ac 12 A person is worth far more than a sheep;ad so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”