⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore^(A) the kingdom to Israel?”

² When John,^(A) who was in prison,^(B) heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come,^(C) or should we expect someone else?”

⁴ Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.^{(D) 6} Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”^(E)

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign^(A) Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”^{(B) 15} Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king^(C) by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.^(D)

⁷ As John’s^(A) disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness^(B) to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet?^(C) Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,^[b] and violent people have been raiding it.