Matthew 12:17-27

17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:
18 “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public.
20 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.”
22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.
23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.
26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.
27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Isa 42:1-4 (Greek version for 42:4 ).
  • [b]. Greek Beelzeboul; also in 12:27 . Other manuscripts read Beezeboul; Latin version reads Beelzebub.
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