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].

Sabbath Questions

12 At that particular time Jesus went through the grainfields on the ^[a]Sabbath, and His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.^{(A) 2} But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what ^[b]is unlawful on the Sabbath.”^{(B) 3} He said to them, “Have you not read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who accompanied him—^{(C) 4} how he went into the house of God, and they ate the ^[c]consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests only? ⁵ Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break [the sanctity of] the Sabbath and yet are innocent?^{(D) 6} But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ And if you had only known what this statement means, ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], ^[d]and not [animal] sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.^(E)

Lord of the Sabbath

⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

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.”