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 3 and said to him, “Are you (E)the one who is to come, or shall we (F)look for another?” 4 And 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. 6 And blessed is the one who (I)is not offended by me.”
7 As 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? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man[b] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? (L)A prophet?[c] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
(M)“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, 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, 14 and 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.’
18 For John came (R)neither eating (S)nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The 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. 23 And 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; 26 yes, 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. 29 Take 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. 30 For (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
Easy-to-Read Version
John Sends Men to Ask Jesus a Question(A)
11 When Jesus finished these instructions for his twelve followers, he left there. He went to the towns in Galilee to teach the people and tell them God’s message.
2 When John was in prison, he heard about the things that were happening—things the Messiah would do. So he sent some of his followers to Jesus. 3 They asked him, “Are you the one we have been expecting, or should we wait for someone else?”
4 Jesus answered, “Go tell John what you have heard and seen: 5 The blind can see. The crippled can walk. People with leprosy are healed. The deaf can hear. The dead are brought back to life. And the Good News is being told to the poor. 6 Great blessings belong to those who don’t have a problem accepting me.”
7 When John’s followers left, Jesus began talking to the people about John. He said, “What did you people go out to the desert to see? Someone who is weak, like a stem of grass[a] blowing in the wind? 8 Really, what did you expect to see? Someone dressed in fine clothes? Of course not. People who wear fine clothes are all in kings’ palaces. 9 So what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, John is a prophet. But I tell you, he is more than that. 10 This Scripture was written about him:
‘Listen! I will send my messenger ahead of you.
He will prepare the way for you.’ (B)
11 “The truth is that John the Baptizer is greater than anyone who has ever come into this world. But even the least important person in God’s kingdom is greater than John. 12 Since the time John the Baptizer came until now, God’s kingdom has been going forward strongly.[b] And people have been trying to take control of it by force. 13 Before John came, the Law of Moses and all the prophets told about the things that would happen. 14 And if you believe what they said, then John is Elijah.[c] He is the one they said would come. 15 You people who hear me, listen!
16 “What can I say about the people who live today? What are they like? The people today are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group of children calls to the other group,
17 ‘We played flute music for you,
but you did not dance;
we sang a funeral song,
but you were not sad.’
18 Why do I say people are like that? Because John came, not eating like other people or drinking wine, and people say, ‘He has a demon inside him.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine. He’s a friend of tax collectors and other sinners.’ But wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.”
Jesus Warns People Who Refuse to Believe(C)
20 Then Jesus criticized the cities where he did most of his miracles. He criticized these cities because the people there did not change their lives and stop sinning. 21 Jesus said, “It will be bad for you Chorazin! It will be bad for you Bethsaida! I did many miracles in you. If these same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn sackcloth and put ashes on themselves to show that they were sorry for their sins. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be worse for you than for Tyre and Sidon.
23 “And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No! You will be thrown down to the place of death. I did many miracles in you. If these same miracles had happened in Sodom, the people there would have stopped sinning, and it would still be a city today. 24 But I tell you, it will be worse for you in the day of judgment than for Sodom.”
Jesus Offers Rest to His People(D)
25 Then Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. I am thankful that you have hidden these things from those who are so wise and so smart. But you have shown them to people who are like little children. 26 Yes, Father, you did this because it’s what you really wanted to do.
27 “My Father has given me everything. No one knows the Son—only the Father knows the Son. And no one knows the Father—only the Son knows the Father. And the only people who will know about the Father are those the Son chooses to tell.
28 “Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching.[d] Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. 30 Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 11:7 stem of grass Literally, “reed.”
- Matthew 11:12 has been … strongly Or “has suffered violence.”
- Matthew 11:14 Elijah See Mal. 4:5-6.
- Matthew 11:29 Accept my teaching Literally, “Take my yoke upon you.” A yoke was put on the neck of a work animal for pulling a load. It was a Jewish symbol for the law. See Acts 15:10; Gal. 5:1.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International