MODERN LITERAL VERSION

12:1 Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grainfields at that time, and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck the tops and to eat them.
12:2 But the Pharisees, having seen it, said to him, Behold, your disciples are doing what is not legal to do upon the Sabbath.

12:3 But he said to them, Have you* not read what David did, when he himself was hungry and those with him;
12:4 how he entered into the house of God and ate the showbread, which was not legal for him to eat, nor those with him, unlawful except for the priests only?
12:5 Or have you* not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and yet are crimeless? {1Sam. 21:6}
12:6 But I say to you* that a greater thing than the temple is here.
12:7 But if you* had known what is meant by this, ‘I will to have mercy and not sacrifice,' {Hos. 6:6} You* would not have sentenced the crimeless.
12:8 For* the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.
{Mk 3:1-6 & Mt 12:9-14 & Lk 6:6-11 Probably Galilee.}

12:9 And having proceeded from there, he went into their synagogue.
12:10 And behold, there was a man who had a dried up hand. And they asked him, in order that they might accuse him, saying, Is it legal to heal on the Sabbath day?

12:11 And he said to them, What man shall there be out of you*, who shall have one sheep and if this one falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, shall he not take-hold of it and lift it up?
12:12 Then* how much more-value does a man carry than a sheep? So-then it is legal to do good on the Sabbath day?

12:13 Then he says to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and it was restored as healthy as the other.
12:14 But the Pharisees having gone out, took counsel against him, *that they might destroy him.
{Mk 3:7-12 & Mt 12:15-21 Sea of Galilee.}

12:15 And Jesus having known it departed from there and large crowds followed him, and he healed them all,
12:16 and rebuked them, that* they should not make* him apparent;
12:17 *that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
12:18 ‘Behold, my young-servant whom I selected. My beloved in whom my soul is delighted. I will place my Spirit upon him and he will proclaim judgment to the Gentiles.'
12:19 ‘He will not have selfish ambition, nor cry-out; nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
12:20 He will not fracture a bruised reed and he will not quench a smoking wick, until he should cast out judgment into victory.
12:21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.' {Is. 42:1-3}
{Mk 3:19b-30 & Mt 12:22-37.}

12:22 Then a demon-possessed man was brought to him, blind and mute and he healed him, so-that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
12:23 And all the crowds were astonished and said, This is not the son of David, is it?

12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man is not casting out demons, except by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.

12:25 And Jesus knowing their contemplations said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
12:26 And if the Adversary casts out the Adversary, he is divided against himself. Then* how will his kingdom stand?
12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your* sons cast them out? They will be your* judges because of this.
12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God; consequently the kingdom of God has arrive-unexpectedly upon you*.
12:29 Or how is anyone able to enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, if he does not first bind the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
12:30 He who is not with me is against me and he who does not gather with me scatters.
12:31 Because of this, I say to you*, Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven.
12:32 And 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, not in the age which is now, nor in the future one.
12:33 Either make* the tree good and its fruit good; or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for* the tree is known from its fruit.
12:34 You* offspring of vipers, how are you*, being evil, able to speak good things? For* out of the abundance of the heart the mouth is speaking.
12:35 The good man out of his good treasure is putting out good things and the evil man out of his evil treasure is putting out evil things.
12:36 And I say to you* that every idle declaration, whatever men speak, they will give an account in the day of judgment concerning it.
12:37 For* you will be justified from your words and you will be sentenced from your words.

12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.

12:39 But answering, he said to them, An evil and adulterous generation is seeking a sign, and a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
12:40 for* as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-creature; so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

12:41 The men of the Ninevites will stand up with this generation in the judgment and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, more-than Jonah is here.
12:42 The queen of the south will arise with this generation in the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, more-than Solomon is here.

12:43 But the unclean spirit, whenever it has gone out of the man, goes through waterless places, seeking rest and does not find it.
12:44 Then it says, I will return into my house from where I came out, and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept and adorned.
12:45 Then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself and they go in and dwell there and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So it will also be with this evil generation.
{Mk 3:31-35 & Mt 12:46-50 & Lk 8:19-21.}

12:46 But while he was speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brethren were standing outside, seeking to speak to him.
12:47 And one said to him, Behold, your mother and your brethren are standing outside, seeking to speak to you.

12:48 But answering, he said to him who spoke to him, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?
12:49 And he stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren!
12:50 For* whoever does the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother and sister and mother.
{Mk 4:1-25 & Mt 13:1-23 & Lk 8:4-18 Sea of Galilee.}