Matthew 12:22-45

221Then a 2demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to 3Jesus, and He healed him so that the man who was unable to speak talked and 4could see. 23And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, “This man cannot be the 5Son of David, can he?” 24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man 6casts out demons only by 7Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

258And 9knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26And if 10Satan is casting out Satan, he 11has become divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27And if 12by 13Beelzebul I cast out the demons, 14by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 28But 15if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29Or, how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 3016The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.

31“17Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 3218And whoever 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 19this age or in the age to come.

33“Either 20assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or 21assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for 22the tree is known by its fruit. 3423You 24offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? 25For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. 3526The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things. 36But I tell you that for every 27careless word that people 28speak, they will give an account of it on the 29day of judgment. 37For 30by your words you will be justified, and 31by your words you will be condemned.”

38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, 32we want to see a 33sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “34An evil and adulterous generation craves a 35sign; and so no 36sign will be given to it except the 37sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as 38Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will 39the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for 40three days and three nights. 4141The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because 42they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something 43greater than Jonah is here. 4244The 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, something 45greater than Solomon is here.

43“46Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44Then 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. 45Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and 47the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”