< Mark 3 >
1 Again he went into a synagogue where there was a man with his hand withered.
2 And they kept watching Jesus to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath; so as to have some charge to bring against him.
3 "Stand up," Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, "and come forward."
4 Then he asked them. "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath Day, or to do harm? to save a life, or to destroy it?"
5 They were silent. Then looking around upon them with anger, and deeply grieved by the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and the hand was at once completely restored.
6 As soon as they came out, the Pharisees plotted against him with the Herodians, in order to destroy him.
7 Then Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples; and a great crowd of people from Galilee followed.
8 From Judea, too, and Jerusalem, and Idumea, and from beyond Jordan, and from the district of Tyre and Sidon, they came to him a vast multitude, because they heard what he was doing.
9 So he directed his disciples to keep a little boat in readiness for him, because of the crowd, to prevent their crushing him.
10 For he had healed so many that all the people who had ailments pressed upon him so as to touch him.
11 And whenever the unclean spirits beheld him, they threw themselves down at his feet, screaming out, "You are the Son of God."
12 But over and over, he strictly forbade them to make him known.
13 Then he went up the hillside and called to him those whom he chose, and they came to him.
14 Twelve of them whom he also called "Apostles," he appointed to be with him, and also that he might send them out to preach,
15 and to have authority to cast out demons.
16 There was Simon, whom he surnamed Peter,
17 and James(them he surnamed Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder),
18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and Jamesthe son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot,
19 and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
20 Then he went into a house, but again such a multitude assembled that they could not get their food.
21 When his relatives heard of it, they came to take possession of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
22 The Scribes also who had come down from Jerusalem, said, "He is Beelzebub," and, "He casts out demons by the power of the Prince of the demons."
23 So when he had called them to him he spoke to them in parables. "How," said he, "can Satan cast out Satan?
24 If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand;
25 if a household be divided against itself, that household cannot stand;
26 and if Satan has revolted against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand. Nay, he meets his end!
27 "Indeed, no one can enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property without first binding the strong man; then he can plunder his house.
28 In solemn truth I tell you that the sons of men shall be forgiven all their sins and all the blasphemies they may utter,
29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is never forgiven. Nay, he is in the grasp of an eternal sin." (aiōn , aiōnios )
30 Because they kept saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
31 Then his mother and his brothers came up, and standing outside, they sent a messenger to him to call him.
32 Now a crowd was sitting round him and they told him, "See! your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, wanting to see you."
33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he replied.
34 Then, with a glance at those who were in the circle sitting around him, he added.
35 "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, that one is my brother and sister and mother."
