Day 395 of 730

¹At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

²But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, "Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."

³But he said to them, "Have not you read what David did, when he was hungry, he and his companions;

⁴how he entered into the house of God, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

⁵Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?

⁶But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

⁷But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁹And he departed there, and went into their synagogue.

¹⁰And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" that they might accuse him.

¹¹And he said to them, "What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won't he grab on to it, and lift it out?

¹²Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day."

¹³Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other.

¹⁴But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him.

¹⁵But Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Many followed him; and he healed them all,

¹⁶and commanded them that they should not make him known:

¹⁷that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him. And he will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹He will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

²⁰He won't break a bruised reed. And he won't quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory.

²¹And in his name, the nations will hope."

²²Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw.

²³And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, "Can this be the son of David?"

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons."

²⁵And knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

²⁶And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

²⁷If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

²⁸But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and carry off his possessions, unless he first bind the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

³⁰"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

³²And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.

³³"Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

³⁴You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

³⁵The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.

³⁶But I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

³⁸Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."

³⁹But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the proclaiming of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

⁴²The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it.

⁴⁴Then he says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

⁴⁵Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation."

⁴⁶While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him.

⁴⁷Then one said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you."

⁴⁸But he answered him who spoke to him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

⁴⁹And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers!

⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother."

¹Oh come, let's sing to the Lord. Let's shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!

²Let's come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let's extol him with songs!

³For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.

⁴In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The heights of the mountains are also his.

⁵The sea is his, and he made it. His hands formed the dry land.

⁶Oh come, let's worship and bow down. Let's kneel before the Lord, our Maker,

⁷for he is our God. We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep in his care. Today, oh that you would hear his voice!

⁸Do not harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

⁹when your fathers tempted me, tested me, and saw my work.

¹⁰Forty long years I was grieved with that generation, and said, "It is a people that errs in their heart. They have not known my ways."

¹¹Therefore I swore in my wrath, "They won't enter into my rest."

¹When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you;

²put a knife to your throat, if you are a man given to appetite.

³Do not be desirous of his dainties, seeing they are deceitful food.

⁴Do not weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.

⁵Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.

⁶Do not eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and do not crave his delicacies:

⁷for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸The morsel which you have eaten you shall vomit up, and lose your good words.

⁹Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹⁰Do not move the ancient boundary stone. Do not encroach on the fields of the fatherless:

¹¹for their Defender is strong. He will plead their case against you.

¹²Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge.

¹³Do not withhold correction from a child. If you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

¹⁴Punish him with the rod, and save his soul from Sheol.

¹⁵My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad, even mine:

¹⁶yes, my heart will rejoice, when your lips speak what is right.

¹⁷Do not let your heart envy sinners; but rather fear the Lord all the day long.

¹⁸Indeed surely there is a future hope, and your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path!

²⁰Do not be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat:

²¹for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

²²Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

²³Buy the truth, and do not sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.

²⁴The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.

²⁵Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice!

²⁶My son, give me your heart; and let your eyes keep in my ways.

²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit; and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

²⁸Yes, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

³⁰Those who stay long at the wine; those who go to seek out mixed wine.

³¹Do not look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.

³²In the end, it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper.

³³Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will imagine confusing things.

³⁴Yes, you will be as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he who lies on top of the rigging:

³⁵"They hit me, and I was not hurt! They beat me, and I do not feel it! When will I wake up? I can do it again. I can find another."