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Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time ^aJesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^bthey began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him ^c“Look, your disciples are doing ^dwhat is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, ^e“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate ^fthe bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read ^gin the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you ^hsomething greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known ⁱwhat this means ^j‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For ^kthe Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”