Matthew 11 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he left to go and teach and speak publicly in the nearby towns.
1 Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς διατάσσων τοῖς δώδεκα μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ μετέβη ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ διδάσκειν καὶ κηρύσσειν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν.
2 While John was in prison he heard what the Messiah was doing, so he sent his disciples
2 Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης ἀκούσας ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πέμψας δύο τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ
3 to ask on his behalf, “Are you the one we were expecting to come, or should we continue to look for someone else?”
3 εἶπεν αὐτῷ· σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἢ ἕτερον προσδοκῶμεν;
4 Jesus answered them, “Go back and tell John what you hear and what you see.
4 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· πορευθέντες ἀπαγγείλατε Ἰωάννῃ ἃ ἀκούετε καὶ βλέπετε·
5 The blind can see, the crippled can walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf can hear, the dead are resurrected, and the poor hear the good news.
5 τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσι καὶ χωλοὶ περιπατοῦσι, λεπροὶ καθαρίζονται καὶ κωφοὶ ἀκούουσι, νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται καὶ πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται·
6 Blessed are those who don't reject me!”
6 καὶ μακάριός ἐστιν ὃς ἐὰν μὴ σκανδαλισθῇ ἐν ἐμοί.
7 As they left, Jesus began to talk to the crowds about John. “What were you expecting to see when you went out into the desert? A reed tossed about by the wind?
7 Τούτων δὲ πορευομένων ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγειν τοῖς ὄχλοις περὶ Ἰωάννου· τί ἐξήλθετε εἰς τὴν ἔρημον θεάσασθαι; κάλαμον ὑπὸ ἀνέμου σαλευόμενον;
8 So what did you go to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? People dressed like that live in kings' palaces.
8 ἀλλὰ τί ἐξήλθετε ἰδεῖν; ἄνθρωπον ἐν μαλακοῖς ἱματίοις ἠμφιεσμένον; ἰδοὺ οἱ τὰ μαλακὰ φοροῦντες ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις τῶν βασιλέων εἰσίν.
9 So what did you go to see then? A prophet? Yes, and I tell you he is much more than a prophet!
9 ἀλλὰ τί ἐξήλθετε ἰδεῖν; προφήτην; ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, καὶ περισσότερον προφήτου.
10 He's the one this Scripture was written about: ‘I'm sending my messenger on ahead of you. He will prepare your way for you.’
10 οὗτος γάρ ἐστι περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου ἔμπροσθέν σου.
11 I tell you the truth, that among humanity there's no one greater than John the Baptist, but even the least important in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.
11 ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐκ ἐγήγερται ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν μείζων Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ· ὁ δὲ μικρότερος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν μείζων αὐτοῦ ἐστιν.
12 From the time of John the Baptist up till now the kingdom of heaven continues to be under attack, and violent people are trying to seize it by force.
12 ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν.
13 For all the prophets and the law spoke for God until John came.
13 πάντες γὰρ οἱ προφῆται καὶ ὁ νόμος ἕως Ἰωάννου προεφήτευσαν.
14 If you're prepared to believe it, he is Elijah, the one who was expected to come.
14 καὶ εἰ θέλετε δέξασθαι, αὐτός ἐστιν Ἠλίας ὁ μέλλων ἔρχεσθαι.
15 Anybody with ears should be listening!
15 ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
16 What shall I compare this generation to? It's like children sitting in the marketplaces shouting to each other,
16 Τίνι δὲ ὁμοιώσω τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην; ὁμοία ἐστὶ παιδίοις καθημένοις ἐν ἀγοραῖς, ἃ προσφωνοῦντα τοῖς ἑταίροις αὐτῶν λέγουσιν·
17 ‘We played the flute for you and you didn't dance; we sang sad songs and you didn't cry.’
17 ηὐλήσαμεν ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε, ἐθρηνήσαμεν ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκόψασθε.
18 John didn't come feasting and drinking, so people say, ‘He's devil-possessed!’
18 ἦλθε γὰρ Ἰωάννης μήτε ἐσθίων μήτε πίνων, καὶ λέγουσι· δαιμόνιον ἔχει.
19 On the other hand the Son of man came and did feast and drink, and people say, ‘Look, he's greedy and drinks too much; he's a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by what it does…”
19 ἦλθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, καὶ λέγουσιν· ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης, τελωνῶν φίλος καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν. καὶ ἐδικαιώθη ἡ σοφία ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς!
20 Then he began to reprimand the towns where he'd done most of his miracles because they had not repented.
20 Τότε ἤρξατο ὀνειδίζειν τὰς πόλεις ἐν αἷς ἐγένοντο αἱ πλεῖσται δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐ μετενόησαν·
21 “Shame on you, Korazin! Shame on you, Bethsaida! If the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which happened among you, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago.
21 οὐαί σοι, Χοραζίν, οὐαί σοι, Βηθσαϊδά· ὅτι εἰ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἐγενήθησαν αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ γενόμεναι ἐν ὑμῖν, πάλαι ἂν ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ καθήμεναι μετενόησαν.
22 But I tell you that on the Day of Judgment it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than it will for you!
22 πλὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἢ ὑμῖν.
23 And what about you, Capernaum? Will you be exalted to heaven? No, you'll go down to Hades! If the miracles had been performed in Sodom which happened among you, Sodom would still be here today.
23 καὶ σὺ Καπερναούμ, ἡ ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὑψωθεῖσα, ἕως ᾅδου καταβιβασθήσῃ· ὅτι εἰ ἐν Σοδόμοις ἐγενήθησαν αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ γενόμεναι ἐν σοί, ἔμειναν ἂν μέχρι [τῆς] σήμερον.
24 But I tell you that on the Day of Judgment it will be better for Sodom than it will for you!”
24 πλὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι γῇ Σοδόμων ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἢ σοί.
25 Then Jesus prayed, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you've hidden these things from the clever and sophisticated. Instead you've revealed them to ordinary people.
25 Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, πάτερ, κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἀπέκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις·
26 Yes, Father, you were pleased to do this!
26 ναί, ὁ πατήρ, ὅτι οὕτως ἐγένετο εὐδοκία ἔμπροσθέν σου.
27 Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father, and no one really understands the Son, except the Father, and no one really understands the Father, except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
27 Πάντα μοι παρεδόθη ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπιγινώσκει τὸν υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ, οὐδὲ τὸν πατέρα τις ἐπιγινώσκει εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι.
28 Come to me, all of you who struggle and who are burdened down. I will give you rest.
28 Δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς.
29 Accept my yoke, and learn from me. For I am kind and have a humble heart, and in me you will find the rest you need.
29 ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾷός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν·
30 For my yoke is gentle, and my burden is light.”
30 ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
Places
Capernaum
A fishing and customs town on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus healed, taught, and called disciples. Its ruins include a 4th–5th c. synagogue built over an earlier one.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 4:13; Mark 2:1; Matthew 11:23
Cross references (29)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Isaiah 61:1–3; Acts 10:38; Matthew 9:35; Luke 8:1; Luke 4:15–21
- 2 Matthew 14:3; Mark 6:17; Matthew 4:12; Luke 7:18–35; Matthew 9:14
- 3 John 11:27; Malachi 3:1; Hebrews 10:37; Deuteronomy 18:15–18; Micah 5:2
- 5 Isaiah 35:4–6; Isaiah 61:1–3; Isaiah 42:6–7; Luke 4:18; Isaiah 29:18
- 6 Isaiah 8:14–15; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Matthew 26:31; John 6:66; Luke 11:27–28
- 7 James 1:6; John 5:35; Luke 8:18; Luke 7:24–30; Ephesians 4:14
- 8 Matthew 3:4; 2 Kings 1:8; 2 Corinthians 11:27; Zechariah 13:4; Isaiah 20:2
- 9 Luke 1:76; Matthew 14:5; Mark 9:11–13; Matthew 17:12–13; Matthew 21:24–26
- 10 Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 4:5; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:26–27
- 11 Luke 7:28; Ephesians 3:8; Matthew 3:11; John 1:15; Matthew 5:19
- 12 Luke 16:16; Luke 13:24; Ephesians 6:11–13; Philippians 2:12; John 6:27
- 13 Matthew 5:17–18; Romans 3:21; Acts 3:22–24; Acts 13:27; Luke 24:44
- 14 Malachi 4:5; Mark 9:11–13; Matthew 17:10–13; Luke 1:17; John 1:21–23
- 15 Matthew 13:9; Luke 8:8; Mark 4:23; Matthew 13:43; Mark 4:9
- 16 Luke 7:31–35; Matthew 23:36; Mark 4:30; Matthew 12:34; Luke 13:18
- 17 Isaiah 28:9–13; Jeremiah 9:17–20; Isaiah 30:29; Matthew 9:15; Jeremiah 31:4
- 18 Matthew 3:4; Luke 1:15; John 10:20; Matthew 10:25; John 8:48
- 19 Matthew 9:10–11; Luke 7:34–36; Luke 15:1–2; Luke 19:7; Luke 5:29–30
- 20 Luke 10:13–15; 2 Timothy 2:25–26; Jeremiah 8:6; Isaiah 1:2–5; Revelation 9:20–21
- 21 Ezekiel 3:6–7; Matthew 15:21; Acts 12:20; Luke 9:10; John 12:21
- 22 Matthew 11:24; Matthew 10:15; Hebrews 10:26–31; Luke 12:47–48; Matthew 12:36
- 23 Isaiah 14:13–15; John 4:46–54; Matthew 4:13; Genesis 13:13; Revelation 11:8
- 24 Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:22; Mark 6:11; Lamentations 4:6; Luke 10:12
- 25 Matthew 21:16; Psalm 8:2; Matthew 16:17; Luke 10:21–24; 1 Corinthians 1:18–29
- 26 Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 3:11; 2 Timothy 1:9; Luke 10:21; Romans 9:18
- 27 John 14:6–9; Matthew 28:18; Luke 10:22; 2 John 9; John 17:25–26
- 28 Matthew 11:29; John 7:37; John 6:37; Galatians 5:1; Isaiah 55:1–3
- 29 Jeremiah 6:16; 1 John 2:6; Philippians 2:7–8; John 13:15; Luke 6:46–48
- 30 1 John 5:3; John 16:33; Philippians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Galatians 5:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The lesson of the Holy Gospel has set before us a question touching John the Baptist. May the Lord assist me to resolve it to you, as He hath resolved it to us.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
That is, after He had sent them, He proceeded to withdraw Himself, to give them room and opportunity to do what He had enjoined. For while He was present and healing, no one would be willing to approach them.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… the Christ, because the Jews knew not what the Father was, and what the Son, in like manner accused them; and Himself said, "No one knoweth the Father, but the Son; nor the Son, but the Father, and they to whom the Son revealeth Him." Now the Word of God is His Son, as we have before said.
And again, when He said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, and learn of Me," He announced the Father of truth.
"Because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes;" that they "that labour and are heavy laden" might "come" unto Him and He might refresh them, because He is "meek and lowly in heart." "The meek will He guide in judgment; and the meek will He teach His way;" looking upon our …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)