Matthew 11:1-19 - A Question From John The Baptist

¹ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he passed on from thence, to be teaching and proclaiming in their cities. ² Now, John, hearing in the prison the works of the Christ, sending through his disciples, ³ said unto him, Art, thou, the coming one? or, a different one, are we to expect?

⁴ And, answering, Jesus said unto them - Go report unto John what ye do hear and see: - ⁵ The, blind, recover sight, and, the lame, walk, lepers, are cleansed, and, the deaf, hear, - and, the dead, are raised, and, the destitute, are told the joyful tidings; ⁶ And, happy, is he, whosoever shall not find cause of stumbling, in me.

⁷ But, as these were going their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes, concerning John, - What went ye forth into the wilderness to gaze at? A reed, by a wind, shaken? ⁸ But what went ye forth to see? A man, in soft clothing, arrayed? Lo! they who soft clothing do wear, are in the houses of kings. ⁹ But why went ye forth? A prophet, to see? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This, is he, concerning whom it is written, - Lo! I, send my messenger before thy face, who shall make ready thy way before thee!

¹¹ Verily, I say unto you - There hath not arisen, among such as are born of women, a greater than John the Immerser, - yet, he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens, is, greater than he. ¹² But, from the days of John the Immerser, until even now, the kingdom of the heavens, is being invaded, and, invaders, are, seizing upon it. ¹³ For, all the prophets and the law, until John, did prophesy; ¹⁴ And, if ye are willing to accept it, he, is Elijah - the one destined to come. ¹⁵ He that hath ears, let him hear!

¹⁶ But, unto what, shall I liken this generation? It is, like, unto children, sitting the market-places, who, calling unto the others,

¹⁷ say, We played the flute to you, and ye danced not, - we sang a lament, and ye beat not the breast.

¹⁸ For, John, came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say - A demon, he hath! ¹⁹ The Son of Man, came, eating and drinking, and they say, Lo! a gluttonous man and a wine-drinker! a friend of, tax-collectors, and sinners! And yet wisdom hath been justified by her works.

¹⁸ And John's disciples carried tidings unto him concerning all these things. ¹⁹ And, calling unto him certain two of his disciples, John sent unto the Lord, saying - Art, thou, the Coming One, or, a different one, are we to expect?

²⁰ And, coming near unto him, the men said - John the Immerser, hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art, thou, the Coming One, or, another, are we to expect?

²¹ In that very hour, he cured many from diseases, and plagues, and wicked spirits; and, unto many blind, gave he the favour to see. ²² And, answering, he said unto them - Go and bear tidings unto John, as to what ye have seen and heard: The blind, are receiving sight, the lame, walk, lepers, are cleansed, and, the deaf, hear, the dead, are raised, the destitute, are told the glad-message; ²³ And, happy, is he, whosoever shall not find occasion of stumbling in me! ²⁴ And, the messengers of John having departed, he began to say unto the multitudes, concerning John - What went ye forth into the desert to gaze at? A reed, by a wind, shaken? ²⁵ But what went ye forth to see? A man, in soft garments, arrayed? Lo! they who in splendid apparel and luxury are found, are, in the kingly courts. ²⁶ But what went ye forth to see? A prophet? Yea! I say unto you, - and abundantly more than a prophet. ²⁷ This, is he concerning whom it is written - Lo! I am sending forth my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.

²⁸ I say unto you - A greater, among them that are born of women, than John, is there none; but, he that is least in the kingdom of God, is greater than he.

²⁹ And, all the people, when they heard, and the tax-collectors, justified God, having been immersed with the immersion of John; ³⁰ but, the Pharisees and the lawyers, had set aside, the counsel of God against themselves, not being immersed by him.

³¹ Unto what, then, shall I liken the men of this generation? And unto what are they like? ³² They are like unto the children sitting, in a market-place, and calling one to another, who say - We played the flute for you, and ye danced not, We wailed, and ye wept not.

³³ For John the Immerser hath come, neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say - A demon, he hath: ³⁴ The Son of Man hath come, eating and drinking, and ye say - Lo! a man, gluttonous and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners. ³⁵ And yet wisdom hath been justified by all her children.