Messengers from John the Baptist

¹When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

²eNow when John heard fin prison about the deeds of gthe Christ, he sent word by hhis disciples ³and said to him, “Are you ithe one who is to come, or shall we jlook for another?” ⁴And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵kthe blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers1 are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and lthe poor have good news preached to them. ⁶And blessed is the one who mis not offended by me.”

⁷As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ninto the wilderness to see? oA reed shaken by the wind? ⁸What then did you go out to see? A man2 dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹What then did you go out to see? pA prophet?3 Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is he of whom it is written,

q“‘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. ¹²rFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,4 and the violent take it by force. ¹³rFor all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴and if you are willing to accept it, he is sElijah who is to come. ¹⁵tHe who has ears to hear,5 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 uneither eating vnor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came weating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, xa friend of ytax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”6

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

²⁰zThen he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. ²¹a“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in bTyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²cBut I tell you, it will be more bearable on dthe day of judgment for bTyre and Sidon than for you. ²³And you, eCapernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to fHades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴cBut I tell you that git will be more tolerable on dthe day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

²⁵hAt that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, iLord of heaven and earth, that jyou have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and krevealed them to little children; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your lgracious will.7 ²⁷mAll things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son nexcept the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone oto whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸pCome to qme, all who labor and are rheavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and slearn from me, for I am tgentle and lowly in heart, and uyou will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For vmy yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”