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Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

12At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ²When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’ ³He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. ⁵Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? ⁶I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. ⁷But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.’

The Man with a Withered Hand

9 He left that place and entered their synagogue; ¹⁰a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him. ¹¹He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹²How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ ¹³Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Pronouncement about the Sabbath

23 One sabbath he was going through the cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. ²⁴The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’ ²⁵And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? ²⁶He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.’ ²⁷Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; ²⁸so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’

Psalm 92

Thanksgiving for Vindication

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day.
¹ It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
   to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
² to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
   and your faithfulness by night,
³ to the music of the lute and the harp,
   to the melody of the lyre.
⁴ For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
   at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

⁵ How great are your works, O Lord!
   Your thoughts are very deep!
⁶ The dullard cannot know,
   the stupid cannot understand this:
⁷ though the wicked sprout like grass
   and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction for ever,
⁸   but you, O Lord, are on high for ever.
⁹ For your enemies, O Lord,
   for your enemies shall perish;
   all evildoers shall be scattered.

¹⁰ But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
   you have poured over me^* fresh oil.
¹¹ My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
   my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

¹² The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
   and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³ They are planted in the house of the Lord;
   they flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ In old age they still produce fruit;
   they are always green and full of sap,
¹⁵ showing that the Lord is upright;
   he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.