Matthew 12:27-37

27 "If I ¹by Beelzebul cast out demons, ²by whom do your sons cast them out? For this * reason * they will be your judges.

28 "But ³if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless * he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

The Unpardonable Sin

30 "⁴He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

31 "⁵Therefore * I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.

32 "⁶Whoever * speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever * speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in ⁷this age or in the age to come.

Words Reveal Character

33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for ⁸the tree is known by its fruit.

34 "⁹You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? ¹⁰For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

35 "¹¹The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.

36 "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in ¹²the day of judgment.

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

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 9:34
• 2. Acts 19:13
• 3. 1 John 3:8
• 4. Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50; Luke 11:23
• 5. Matthew 12:31, 32; Mark 3:28-30; Luke 12:10
• 6. Luke 12:10
• 7. Matthew 13:22, 39; Mark 10:30; Luke 16:8; Luke 18:30; Luke 20:34, 35; Ephesians 1:21; 1 Timothy 6:17; 2 Timothy 4:10; Titus 2:12; Hebrews 6:5
• 8. Matthew 7:16-18; Luke 6:43, 44; John 15:4-7
• 9. Matthew 3:7; Matthew 23:33; Luke 3:7
• 10. 1 Samuel 24:13; Isaiah 32:6; Matthew 12:34, 35; Matthew 15:18; Luke 6:45; Ephesians 4:29; James 3:2-12
• 11. Proverbs 10:20, 21; Proverbs 25:11, 12; Matthew 13:52; Colossians 4:6
• 12. Matthew 10:15

Footnotes

• [a] V 24, note 1
• [b] Lit "will speak"
• [c] Lit "will speak"
• [d] Lit "good things"
• [e] Lit "good things"
• [f] Lit "evil things"
• [g] Or "useless"
• [h] Lit "will speak"
• [i] Or "in accordance with"
• [j] Or "in accordance with"