Matthew 12:1–21

LORD OF THE SABBATH

12At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath.^s His disciples^t were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. ²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful^u to do on the Sabbath.”

³He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: ⁴how he entered the house of God, and they ate^H 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,^Ay you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”^z

THE MAN WITH THE SHRIVELED HAND

⁹Moving 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

¹¹He 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.”

¹³Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored,^a as good as the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him.^b

THE SERVANT OF THE LORD

¹⁵Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds^B followed him, and he healed them all.^{c 16}He warned them not to make him known,^{d 17}so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

¹⁸Here is my servant whom I have chosen,

my beloved in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him,

and he will proclaim justice to the nations.^e

¹⁹He will not argue or shout,

and no one will hear his voice in the streets.

²⁰He will not break a bruised reed,

and he will not put out a smoldering wick,

until he has led justice to victory.^C

²¹The nations will put their hope in his name.^Df