²⁵ “When you come into the standing grain of your neighbor, you may ^[a]pluck the ears of grain with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain [to harvest it].

Question of the Sabbath

²³ One Sabbath He was walking along [with His disciples] through the grainfields, and as they went along, His disciples began picking the heads of grain.^{(A) 24} The Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what ^[a]is unlawful on the Sabbath?” ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “Have you never read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was in need and was hungry, he and his companions;^{(B) 26} how he went into the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat, and how he also gave it to the men who were with him?”^{(C) 27} Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.^{(D) 28} So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath [and He has authority over it].”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6 One Sabbath while Jesus was passing through fields of standing grain, it happened that His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.^{(A) 2} But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what ^[a]is unlawful on the Sabbath?”^{(B) 3} Jesus replied to them, “Have you not even read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him—^{(C) 4} how he went into the house of God, and took and ate the ^[b]consecrated bread, which is not lawful [for anyone] to eat except the priests alone, and [how he also] gave it to the men who were with him?”^{(D) 5} Jesus was saying to them, “The Son of Man (the Messiah) is Lord [even] of the Sabbath.”