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

Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have [a]good tidings preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.

And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. [b]But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 10 This is he, of whom it is written,

[c]Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
Who shall prepare thy way before thee.

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is [d]but little 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 men of violence take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye are willing to receive [e]it, this is Elijah, that is to come. 15 He that hath ears [f]to hear, let him hear. 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto their fellows 17 and say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not [g]mourn. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of [h]publicans and sinners! And wisdom [i]is justified by her [j]works.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:5 Or, the gospel
  2. Matthew 11:9 Many ancient authorities read But what went ye out to see? a prophet?
  3. Matthew 11:10 Mal. 3:1.
  4. Matthew 11:11 Greek lesser.
  5. Matthew 11:14 Or, him
  6. Matthew 11:15 Some ancient authorities omit to hear.
  7. Matthew 11:17 Greek beat the breast.
  8. Matthew 11:19 See marginal note on 5:46.
  9. Matthew 11:19 Or, was
  10. Matthew 11:19 Many ancient authorities read children: as in Lk. 7:35.

A Question from John the Baptist

11 And it happened that when Jesus had finished giving orders to his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and to preach in their towns. Now when[a] John[b] heard in prison the deeds of Christ, he sent word[c] by his disciples and[d] said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” And Jesus answered and[e] said to them, “Go and[f] tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and the poor have good news announced to them.[g] And whoever is not offended by me is blessed.”

Now as[h] these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings. But why did you go out? To see a prophet?[i] Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! 10 It is this man about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face,
    who will prepare your way before you.’[j]

11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist. But the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 But from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is treated violently, and the violent claim[k] it. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it,[l] he is Elijah, the one who is going to come. 15 The one who has ears, let him hear!

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another, 17 saying,

‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance;
we sang a lament and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”[m]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:2 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Matthew 11:2 That is, John the Baptist
  3. Matthew 11:2 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  4. Matthew 11:3 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sent” in the previous verse) has been translated as a finite verb
  5. Matthew 11:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  6. Matthew 11:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“go”) has been translated as a finite verb
  7. Matthew 11:5 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. Matthew 11:7 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“were going away”)
  9. Matthew 11:9 Some manuscripts have “But what did you go out to see? A prophet?”
  10. Matthew 11:10 A quotation from Mal 3:1; cf. Mark 1:2
  11. Matthew 11:12 Or “seize”
  12. Matthew 11:14 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  13. Matthew 11:19 Many Greek manuscripts, including most later ones, read “children”