Matthew 12
1 In that tyme Jhesus wente bi cornes in the sabot day; and hise disciplis hungriden, and bigunnen to plucke the eris of corn, and to ete.
About the same time Jesus walked through the cornfields one Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some ears of wheat and eat them.
2 And Fariseis, seynge, seiden to hym, Lo! thi disciplis don that thing that is not leueful to hem to do in sabatis.
But, when the Pharisees saw this, they said, “Look! Your disciples are doing what it is not allowable to do on a Sabbath!”
3 And he seide to hem, Whether ye han not red, what Dauid dide, whanne he hungride, and thei that weren with hym?
“Haven’t you read,” replied Jesus, “what David did, when he and his companions were hungry –
4 hou he entride in to the hous of God, and eet looues of proposicioun, whiche looues it was not leueful to hym to ete, nether to hem that weren with hym, but to prestis aloone?
how he went into the house of God, and how they ate the consecrated bread, through it was not allowable for him or his companions to eat it, but only for the priests?
5 Or whether ye han not red in the lawe, that in sabotis prestis in the temple defoulen the sabotis, and thei ben with oute blame?
And haven’t you read in the law that, on the Sabbath, the priest in the Temple break the Sabbath and yet are not guilty?
6 And Y seie to you, that here is a gretter than the temple.
Here, however, I tell you, there is something greater than the Temple!
7 And if ye wisten, what it is, Y wole merci, and not sacrifice, ye schulden neuer haue condempned innocentis.
Had you learned the meaning of the words – ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned those who are not guilty.
8 For mannus Sone is lord, yhe, of the sabat.
For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
9 And whanne he passide fro thennus, he cam in to the synagoge of hem.
Passing on, Jesus went into their synagogue,
10 And lo! a man that hadde a drye hoond. And thei axiden hym, and seiden, Whether it be leueful to hele in the sabot? that thei schulden acuse hym.
and there he saw a man with a withered hand. Some people asked Jesus whether it was allowable to work a cure on the Sabbath – so that they might have a charge to bring against him.
11 And he seide to hem, What man of you schal be, that hath o scheep, and if it falle in to a diche in the sabotis, whether he shal not holde, and lifte it vp?
But Jesus said to them, “Which of you, if he had only one sheep, and that sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not lay hold of it and pull it out?
12 How myche more is a man better than a scheep? Therfor it is leueful to do good in the sabatis.
How much more precious a person is than a sheep! Therefore it is allowable to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Thanne he seide to the man, Stretche forth thin hoond. And he strauyte forth; and it was restorid to heelthe as the tothir.
Then he said to the man. “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched it out; and it had become as sound as the other.
14 And the Farisees wenten out, and maden a counsel ayens hym, hou thei schulden distrie hym.
On coming out, the Pharisees plotted against Jesus, to put him to death.
15 And Jhesus knewe it, and wente awei fro thennus; and many sueden hym, and he helide hem alle.
Jesus, however, became aware of it, and went away from that place. A number of people followed him, and he cured them all;
16 And he comaundide to hem, that thei schulden not make hym knowun;
but he warned them not to make him known,
17 that that thing were fulfillid, that was seid by Isaie, the prophete, seiynge, Lo!
in fulfillment of these words in the prophet Isaiah –
18 my child, whom Y haue chosun, my derling, in whom it hath wel plesid to my soule; Y shal put my spirit on him, and he shal telle dom to hethen men.
‘Here is my chosen servant, who I love and who pleases me! I will breathe my spirit on him, and he will announce a time of judgment to the Gentiles.
19 He shal not stryue, ne crye, nethir ony man shal here his voice in stretis.
He will not contend, nor cry aloud, Neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 A brisid rehed he shal not breke, and he schal not quenche smokynge flax, til he caste out doom to victorie;
a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he has brought the judgment to a victorious issue,
21 and hethene men schulen hope in his name.
and on his name will the Gentiles rest their hopes.’
22 Thanne a man blynde and doumbe, that hadde a feend, was brouyt to hym; and he helide hym, so that he spak, and say.
Then some people brought to Jesus a possessed man, who was blind and dumb; and he cured him, so that the man who had been dumb both talked and saw.
23 And al the puple wondride, and seide, Whether this be the sone of Dauid?
At this all the people were astounded. “Is it possible that this is the son of David?” they exclaimed.
24 But the Farisees herden, and seiden, He this casteth not out feendis, but in Belsabub, prince of feendis.
But the Pharisees heard of it and said, “He drives out demons only by the help of Beelzebul the chief of the demons.”
25 And Jhesus, witynge her thouytis, seide to hem, Eche kingdom departid ayens it silf, schal be desolatid, and eche cite, or hous, departid ayens it self, schal not stonde.
Jesus, however, was aware of what was passing in their minds, and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself becomes a desolation, and any town or household divided against itself will not last.
26 And if Satanas castith out Satanas, he is departid ayens him silf; therfor hou schal his kingdom stonde?
So, if Satan drives Satan out, he must be divided against himself; and how, then, can his kingdom last?
27 And if Y in Belsabub caste out deuelis, in `whom youre sones casten out? Therfor thei schulen be youre domes men.
And, if it is by Beelzebul’s help that I drive out demons, by whose help is it that your own sons drive them out? Therefore they will themselves be your judges.
28 But if Y in the Spirit of God caste out feendis, thanne the kyngdom of God is comen in to you.
But, if it is by the help of the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God must already be upon you.
29 Ethir hou may ony man entre in to the hous of a stronge man, and take awey hise vesselis, but `he first bynde the stronge man, and thanne he schal spuyle his hous?
How, again, can anyone get into a strong man’s house and carry off his goods, without first securing him? Not until then will he plunder his house.
30 He that is not with me, is ayens me; and he that gaderith not togidere with me, scaterith abrood.
Anyone who is not with me is against me, and the person who does not help me to gather is scattering.
31 Therfor I seie to you, al synne and blasfemye shal be foryouun to men, but `the spirit of blasfemye shal not be foryouun.
Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and slander; but slander against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 And who euere seith a word ayens mannus sone, it shal be foryouun to him; but who that seieth a word ayens the Hooli Goost, it shal not be foryouun to hym, nether in this world, ne in `the tothir. (aiōn g165)
Whoever speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in the present age, or in the age to come. (aiōn g165)
33 Ethir make ye the tree good, and his fruyt good; ether make ye the tree yuel and his fruyt yuel; for a tree is knowun of the fruyt.
“You must assume either that both tree and fruit are good, or that both tree and fruit are worthless; since it is by its fruits that a tree is known.
34 Ye generacioun of eddris, hou moun ye speke goode thingis, whanne ye ben yuele? For the mouth spekith of plente of the herte.
You children of snakes! How can you, evil as you are, say anything good? For what fills the heart will rise to the lips.
35 A good man bryngith forth good thingis of good tresoure, and an yuel man bringith forth yuel thingis of yuel tresoure.
A good person, from his good stores, produces good things; while an evil person, from his evil stores, produces evil things.
36 And Y seie to you, that of euery idel word, that men speken, thei schulen yelde resoun therof in the dai of doom;
I tell you that for every careless thing that people say, they must answer on the ‘day of judgment.’
37 for of thi wordis thou schalt be iustified, and of thi wordis thou shalt be dampned.
For it is by your words that you will be acquitted, and by your words that you will be condemned.”
38 Thanne summe of the scribis and Farisees answeriden to hym, and seiden, Mayster, we wolen se a tokne of thee.
At this point, some teachers of the Law and Pharisees spoke up. “Teacher,” they said, “we want to see some sign from you.”
39 Which answeride, and seide to hem, An yuel kynrede and a spouse brekere sekith a tokene, and a tokene shal not be youun to it, but the tokene of Jonas, the prophete.
“It is a wicked and unfaithful generation,” answered Jesus, “that is asking for a sign, and no sign will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonas was in the wombe of a whal thre daies and thre nyytis, so mannus sone shal be in the herte of the erthe thre daies and thre nyytis.
For, just as Jonah was inside the sea-monster three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 Men of Nynyue schulen rise in doom with this generacioun, and schulen condempne it; for thei diden penaunce in the prechyng of Jonas, and lo! here a gretter than Jonas.
At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will stand up with this generation, and will condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation; and here is more than a Jonah!
42 The queene of the south shal rise in doom with this generacioun, and schal condempne it; for she cam fro the eendis of the erthe to here the wisdom of Salomon, and lo! here a gretter than Salomon.
At the judgment the Queen of the South will rise up with the present generation, and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and here is more than a Solomon!
43 Whanne an vnclene spirit goith out fro a man, he goith bi drie places, `and sekith rest, and fyndith not.
No sooner does a foul spirit leave a person, than it passes through places where there is no water, in search of rest, and does not find it.
44 Thanne he seith, Y shal turne ayen in to myn hous, fro whannys Y wente out. And he cometh, and fyndith it voide, and clensid with besyms, and maad faire.
Then it says ‘I will go back to the home which I left’; but, on coming there, it finds it unoccupied, and swept, and put in order.
45 Thanne he goith, and takith with him seuene othere spiritis worse than hym silf; and thei entren, and dwellen there. And the laste thingis of that man ben maad worse than the formere. So it shal be to this worste generacioun.
Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in, and make their home there; and the last state of that man proves to be worse than the first. So, too, will it be with this wicked generation.”
46 Yit whil he spak to the puple, lo! his modir and his bretheren stoden withouteforth, sekynge to speke to hym.
While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside, asking to speak to him.
47 And a man seide to hym, Lo! thi modir and thi britheren stonden withouteforth, sekynge thee.
Someone told him this, and Jesus replied,
48 He answeride to the man, that spak to hym, and seide, Who is my modir? and who ben my britheren?
“Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?”
49 And he helde forth his hoond in to hise disciplis, and seide, Lo! my modir and my bretheren;
Then, stretching out his hands towards his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
50 for who euer doith the wille of my fadir that is in heuenes, he is my brothir, and sistir, and modir.
For anyone who does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
