(A)And when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him,

Art thou he that should come, or shall we look for another?

And Jesus answering, said unto them, Go, and show John, what things ye hear and see.

The blind receive sight, and the halt do walk: the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, (B)and the poor receive the Gospel.

And blessed is he that shall not be offended in me.

[a]And as they departed, Jesus began to speak unto the multitude of John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken with the wind?

But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold they that wear soft clothing, are in kings’ houses.

But what went ye out to see? A Prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a Prophet.

10 For this is he of whom it is written, (C)Behold, I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepare thy way before thee.

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them which are begotten of women, arose there not a greater than John Baptist, notwithstanding, he that is the least in the [b]kingdom of heaven, is greater than he.

12 And from (D)the time of John Baptist hitherto, the kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

13 For all the Prophets and the Law [c]prophesied unto John.

14 And if ye will receive it, this is (E)that Elijah, which was to come.

15 He that hath ears to hear let him hear.

16 (F)[d]But whereunto shall I liken this generation? [e]It is like unto little children which sit in the markets, and call unto their fellows,

17 And say, 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 men came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a glutton and a drinker of wine, a friend unto Publicans and sinners: [f]but [g]wisdom is justified of her children.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:7 What agreement, and what difference is betwixt the ministry of the Prophets, the preaching of John, and the full light of the Gospel, which Christ hath brought.
  2. Matthew 11:11 In the new state of the Church where the true glory of God shineth: the persons are not compared together, but the kinds of doctrines, the preaching of John with the law and the Prophets, and again, the most clear preaching of the Gospel with John’s.
  3. Matthew 11:13 They prophesied of things to come, which are now present and clearly and plainly seen.
  4. Matthew 11:16 There are none more stout and stubborn enemies of the Gospel, than they to whom it ought to be most acceptable.
  5. Matthew 11:16 He blameth the frowardness of this age, by a proverb, in that they could be moved neither with rough, nor gentle dealing.
  6. Matthew 11:19 That which the most part refuse, the elect and chosen embrace.
  7. Matthew 11:19 Wise men do acknowledge the wisdom of the Gospel, when they receive it.

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

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 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) Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”(E)

As John’s(F) disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness(G) to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 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. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet?(H) Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,(I)
    who will prepare your way before you.’[b](J)

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,[c] and violent people have been raiding it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.(K) 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.(L) 15 Whoever has ears, let them hear.(M)

16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

17 “‘We played the pipe for you,
    and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
    and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating(N) nor drinking,(O) and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’(P) But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  2. Matthew 11:10 Mal. 3:1
  3. Matthew 11:12 Or been forcefully advancing

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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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