¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[a] a sign:^(A) The virgin^[b](B) will conceive and give birth to a son,^(C) and^[c] will call him Immanuel.^[d](D)

²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[a](A) (which means “God with us”).

9 ^[a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom^(A) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,^(B) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven^(B) has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples^(C)

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,^(D) he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter^(E) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,”^(F) Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.^(G)

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.^(H) They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.^(I)

Jesus Heals the Sick

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee,^(J) teaching in their synagogues,^(K) proclaiming the good news^(L) of the kingdom,^(M) and healing every disease and sickness among the people.^{(N) 24} News about him spread all over Syria,^(O) and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,^(P) those having seizures,^(Q) and the paralyzed;^(R) and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,^[b] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.^(S)

The Servant of the Lord

Jesus and Beelzebul^(D)

²² Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.^{(E) 23} All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”^(F)

²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul,^(G) the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”^(H)

²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts^(I) and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan^(J) drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul,^(K) by whom do your people^(L) drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God^(M) has come upon you.

²⁹ “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

³⁰ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.^{(N) 31} And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.^{(O) 32} Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age^(P) or in the age to come.^(Q)

³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.^{(R) 34} You brood of vipers,^(S) how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks^(T) what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”^(U)

The Sign of Jonah^(V)(W)

³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign^(X) from you.”^(Y)

³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.^{(Z) 40} For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish,^(AA) so the Son of Man^(AB) will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.^{(AC) 41} The men of Nineveh^(AD) will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,^(AE) and now something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came^(AF) from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³ “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.^(AG) That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers^(AH)

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother^(AI) and brothers^(AJ) stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

⁴⁸ He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven^(AK) is my brother and sister and mother.”