Matthew 11

King James Version

11 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

²Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

³And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

⁴Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

⁵The 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.

⁶And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

⁷And 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?

⁸But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

⁹But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

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

¹¹Verily 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁹The 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.

²⁰Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

²¹Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

²²But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

²³And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

²⁴But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

²⁵At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

²⁶Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

²⁷All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

²⁸Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11

English Standard Version

Messengers from John the Baptist

11 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

²^(A)Now when John heard ^(B)in prison about the deeds of ^(C)the Christ, he sent word by ^(D)his disciples ³and said to him, “Are you ^(E)the one who is to come, or shall we ^(F)look for another?” ⁴And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵^(G)the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers^[a] are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and ^(H)the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶And blessed is the one who ^(I)is not offended by me.”

⁷As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ^(J)into the wilderness to see? ^(K)A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸What then did you go out to see? A man^[b] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹What then did you go out to see? ^(L)A prophet?^[c] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is he of whom it is written,

^(M)“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹²^(N)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,^[d] and the violent take it by force. ¹³^(O)For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴and if you are willing to accept it, he is ^(P)Elijah who is to come. ¹⁵^(Q)He who has ears to hear,^[e] let him hear.

¹⁶“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

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

¹⁸For John came ^(R)neither eating ^(S)nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came ^(T)eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, ^(U)a friend of ^(V)tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”^[f]

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

²⁰^(W)Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. ²¹^(X)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in ^(Y)Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²^(Z)But I tell you, it will be more bearable on ^(AA)the day of judgment for ^(AB)Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³And you, ^(AC)Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to ^(AD)Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴^(AE)But I tell you that ^(AF)it will be more tolerable on ^(AG)the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

²⁵^(AH)At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, ^(AI)Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(AJ)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and ^(AK)revealed them to little children; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your ^(AL)gracious will.^[g] ²⁷^(AM)All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son ^(AN)except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone ^(AO)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸^(AP)Come to ^(AQ)me, all who labor and are ^(AR)heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and ^(AS)learn from me, for I am ^(AT)gentle and lowly in heart, and ^(AU)you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For ^(AV)my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Footnotes

Matthew 11:5 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
Matthew 11:8 Or Why then did you go out? To see a man…
Matthew 11:9 Some manuscripts Why then did you go out? To see a prophet?
Matthew 11:12 Or has been coming violently
Matthew 11:15 Some manuscripts omit to hear
Matthew 11:19 Some manuscripts children (compare Luke 7:35)
Matthew 11:26 Or for so it pleased you well

Matthew 11

New International Version

Jesus and John the Baptist^(A)

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples,^(B) he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.^[a]

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

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

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

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,^(K)
who will prepare your way before you.’^[c]^(L)

¹¹Truly 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. ¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,^[d] and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.^(M) ¹⁴And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.^(N) ¹⁵Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(O)

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.’

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

Woe on Unrepentant Towns^(S)

²⁰Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ²¹“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!^(T) For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,^(U) they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.^(V) ²²But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.^(W) ²³And you, Capernaum,^(X) will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[e]^(Y) For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”^(Z)

The Father Revealed in the Son^(AA)

²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,^(AB) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^(AC) ²⁶Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷“All things have been committed to me^(AD) by my Father.^(AE) No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.^(AF)

²⁸“Come to me,^(AG) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^(AH) ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(AI) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^(AJ) ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”^(AK)

Footnotes

Matthew 11:1 Greek in their towns
Matthew 11:5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
Matthew 11:10 Mal. 3:1
Matthew 11:12 Or been forcefully advancing
Matthew 11:23 That is, the realm of the dead

Matthew 11

Contemporary English Version

John the Baptist

(Luke 7.18-35)

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left and began teaching and preaching in the towns.^[a]

²John was in prison when he heard what Christ was doing. So John sent some of his followers ³to ask Jesus, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”

⁴Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. ⁵^(A) The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy^[b] are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. ⁶God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do.”

⁷As John's followers were going away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John:

What sort of person did you go out into the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? ⁸What kind of man did you go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who dress like that live in the king's palace. ⁹What did you really go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was. I tell you that he was more than a prophet. ¹⁰^(B) In the Scriptures God says about him, “I am sending my messenger ahead to get things ready for you.” ¹¹I tell you no one ever born on this earth is greater than John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.

¹²^(C) From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. ¹³All the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses^[c] told what was going to happen up to the time of John. ¹⁴^(D) And if you believe them, John is Elijah, the prophet you are waiting for. ¹⁵If you have ears, pay attention!

¹⁶You people are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,

¹⁷“We played the flute,
but you would not dance!
We sang a funeral song,
but you would not mourn!”

¹⁸John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, “That man has a demon in him!” ¹⁹But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, “That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors^[d] and sinners.” Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.

The Unbelieving Towns

(Luke 10.13-15)

²⁰In the towns where Jesus had worked most of his miracles, the people refused to turn to God. So Jesus was upset with them and said:

²¹^(E) You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place here had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.^[e] ²²I tell you on the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will.

²³^(F) People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? You will go down to hell! If the miracles that took place in your town had happened in Sodom, it would still be standing. ²⁴^(G) So I tell you on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than you.

Come to Me and Rest

(Luke 10.21,22)

²⁵At that moment Jesus said:

My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. ²⁶Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

²⁷^(H) My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so they can know him too.

²⁸^(I) If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹^(J) Take the yoke^[f] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

Footnotes

11.1 the towns: The Greek text has “their towns,” which may refer to the towns of Galilee or to the towns where Jesus' disciples had lived.
11.5 leprosy: See the note at 8.2.
11.13 the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
11.19 tax collectors: See the note at 5.46.
11.21 sackcloth … ashes on their heads: This was one way that people showed how sorry they were for their sins.
11.29 yoke: Yokes were put on the necks of animals, so that they could pull a plow or wagon. A yoke was a symbol of obedience and hard work.

Matthew 11

The Message

John the Baptizer

11 When Jesus finished placing this charge before his twelve disciples, he went on to teach and preach in their villages.

^2-3John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”

^4-6Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on:

The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.

“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!”

^7-10When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’

^11-14“Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.

¹⁵“Are you listening to me? Really listening?

^16-19“How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.’ John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a boozer, a friend of the misfits. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

²⁰Next Jesus unleashed on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.

^21-24“Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”

^25-26Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

²⁷Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

^28-30“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)

Matthew 11

King James Version