16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

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16 But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like little children sitting in the marketplaces who call to their playmates,

17 We piped to you [playing wedding], and you did not dance; we wailed dirges [playing funeral], and you did not mourn and beat your breasts and weep aloud.

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking [with others], and they say, He has a demon!

19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they say, Behold, a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and [[a]especially wicked] sinners! Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her deeds) and by [b]her children.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:19 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  2. Matthew 11:19 Many manuscripts read “children” here, as in Luke 7:35.

16 “What shall I say about this nation? These people are like children playing, who say to their little friends, 17 ‘We played wedding and you weren’t happy, so we played funeral but you weren’t sad.’ 18 For John the Baptist doesn’t even drink wine and often goes without food, and you say, ‘He’s crazy.’[a] 19 And I, the Messiah,[b] feast and drink, and you complain that I am ‘a glutton and a drinking man, and hang around with the worst sort of sinners!’ But brilliant men like you can justify your every inconsistency!”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:18 He’s crazy, literally, “He has a demon.”
  2. Matthew 11:19 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.” brilliant men like you can justify your every inconsistency, literally, “wisdom is justified by her children.”