Question of the Sabbath

23 aAnd it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while bpicking the heads of grain.

24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, awhy are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

25 And He * said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry;

26 how he entered the house of God in the time of aAbiathar the high priest, and ate the 1consecrated bread, which bis not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”

27 Jesus said to them, “aThe Sabbath 1was made 2for man, and bnot man 2for the Sabbath.

28 “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Chapter 3

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

1 aHe bentered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered.

2 aThey were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, bso that they might accuse Him.

3 He * said to the man with the withered hand, “1Get up and come forward!”

4 And He * said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

5 After alooking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He * said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began 1conspiring with the aHerodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.