Matthew 11:1-12:21

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.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time ^(AW)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ^(AX)they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ²But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^(AY)“Look, your disciples are doing ^(AZ)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³He said to them, ^(BA)“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴how he entered the house of God and ate ^(BB)the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵Or have you not read ^(BC)in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶I tell you, ^(BD)something greater than the temple is here. ⁷And if you had known ^(BE)what this means, ^(BF)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸For ^(BG)the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

⁹He went on from there and ^(BH)entered their synagogue. ¹⁰And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^(BI)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—^(BJ)so that they might accuse him. ¹¹He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^(BK)if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²^(BL)Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^(BM)it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ^(BN)the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God's Chosen Servant

¹⁵Jesus, aware of this, ^(BO)withdrew from there. And ^(BP)many followed him, and he healed them all ¹⁶and ^(BQ)ordered them not to make him known. ¹⁷^(BR)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸^(BS)“Behold, my ^(BT)servant whom I have chosen,
    my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
^(BU)I will put my Spirit upon him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
    nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
²⁰a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
²¹    ^(BV)and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”