Matthew 12:34-44

34 "¹You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? ²For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

35 "³The 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 ⁴the day of judgment.

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

The Desire for Signs

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, ⁵we want to see a sign from You."

39 But He answered and said to them, "⁶An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;

40 for just as ⁷JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will ⁸the Son of Man be ⁹three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 "¹⁰The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because ¹¹they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, ¹²something greater than Jonah is here.

42 "¹³The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, ¹⁴something greater than Solomon is here.

43 "¹⁵Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.

44 "Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came '; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 3:7; Matthew 23:33; Luke 3:7
• 2. 1 Samuel 24:13; Isaiah 32:6; Matthew 12:34, 35; Matthew 15:18; Luke 6:45; Ephesians 4:29; James 3:2-12
• 3. Proverbs 10:20, 21; Proverbs 25:11, 12; Matthew 13:52; Colossians 4:6
• 4. Matthew 10:15
• 5. Matthew 16:1; Mark 8:11, 12; Luke 11:16; John 2:18; John 6:30; 1 Corinthians 1:22
• 6. Matthew 12:39-42: {Luke 11:29-32;} Matthew 16:4
• 7. Jonah 1:17
• 8. Matthew 8:20
• 9. Matthew 16:21
• 10. Jonah 1:2
• 11. Jonah 3:5
• 12. Matthew 12:6, 42
• 13. 1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chronicles 9:1
• 14. Matthew 12:6, 41
• 15. Matthew 12:43-45: {Luke 11:24-26}

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "good things"
• [b] Lit "good things"
• [c] Lit "evil things"
• [d] Or "useless"
• [e] Lit "will speak"
• [f] Or "in accordance with"
• [g] Or "in accordance with"
• [h] I.e. attesting miracle
• [i] I.e. attesting miracle
• [j] I.e. attesting miracle
• [k] I.e. attesting miracle