Matthew 12:22-32 - A House Divided Cannot Stand
22 Then a demon-possessed man [who was] blind and mute was brought to him. And he healed him so that the [man who was] mute could speak and see. 23 And all the crowds were amazed and began saying, "Perhaps this one is the Son of David!"
24 But the Pharisees, [when they] heard [it], said, "This man does not expel demons except by Beelzebul the ruler of demons!"
25 But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 And if Satan expels Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel [them]? For this [reason] they will be your judges! 28 But if I expel demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you! 29 Or how can someone enter into the house of a strong [man] and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong [man]? And then he can thoroughly plunder his house. 30 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. 31 For this [reason] I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven! 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the coming one!
20 And he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they were not even able to eat a meal. 21 And [when] {his family} heard [this], they went out to restrain him, for they were saying, "He has lost his mind!"
22 And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul!" and "By the ruler of the demons he expels the demons!"
23 And he called them to himself [and] was speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan expel Satan? 24 And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand, but is at an end!
27 But no one is able to enter into the house of a strong [man] [and] plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong [man], and then he can thoroughly plunder his house. 28 "Truly I say to you that all the sins and the blasphemies will be forgiven the sons of men, however much they blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness {forever}, but is guilty of [an] eternal sin"-- 30 because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."
14 And he was expelling a mute demon. Now it happened that [when] the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished. 15 But some of them said, "By Beelzebul the ruler of demons he expels demons!" 16 And others, [in order to] test [him], were demanding from him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and {a divided household} falls. 18 So if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say [that] I expel demons by Beelzebul. 19 But if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel [them]? For this [reason] they will be your judges! 20 But if I expel demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you! 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are {safe}. 22 But when a stronger man attacks him [and] conquers him, he takes away his full armor in which he trusted and distributes his plunder. 23 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.