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Greek: New Testament (NAS)
English: John Barach
Chapter 11
The Question of the Baptist
1  Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς διατάσσων τοῖς δώδεκα μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, μετέβη ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ διδάσκειν καὶ κηρύσσειν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν.
1And it happened that when Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He moved on from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
2  Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης ἀκούσας ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Χριστοῦ πέμψας διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ 3  εἶπεν αὐτῷ, σὺ εἰ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἢ ἕτερον προσδοκῶμεν; 4  καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, πορευθέντες ἀπαγγείλατε Ἰωάννῃ ἃ ἀκούετε καὶ βλέπετε· 5  τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσιν καὶ χωλοὶ περιπατοῦσιν, λεπροὶ καθαρίζονται καὶ κωφοὶ ἀκούουσιν, καὶ νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται καὶ πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται· 6  καὶ μακάριός ἐστιν ὃς ἐὰν μὴ σκανδαλισθῇ ἐν ἐμοί.
2Now when John heard in prison about the works of the Christ, he sent word through his disciples 3and said to Him, “Are You the One who is coming, or should we look for someone else?” 4And Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news preached to them. 6And blessed is the one who does not stumble because of me.”
Jesus’ Tribute to John
7  Τούτων δὲ πορευομένων ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγειν τοῖς ὄχλοις περὶ Ἰωάννου, τί ἐξήλθατε εἰς τὴν ἔρημον θεάσασθαι; κάλαμον ὑπὸ ἀνέμου σαλευόμενον; 8  ἀλλὰ τί ἐξήλθατε ἰδεῖν; ἄνθρωπον ἐν μαλακοῖς ἠμφιεσμένον; ἰδοὺ οἱ τὰ μαλακὰ φοροῦντες ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις τῶν βασιλέων εἰσίν. 9  ἀλλὰ τί ἐξήλθατε ἰδεῖν; προφήτην; ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, καὶ περισσότερον προφήτου. 10  οὗτός ἐστιν περὶ οὗ γέγραπται,
7As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to gaze at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Look, those who wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings. 9But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it stands written:
'Look, I am sending my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
{Exodus 23:20}
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  ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν. 13  πάντες γὰρ οἱ προφῆται καὶ ὁ νόμος ἕως Ἰωάννου ἐπροφήτευσαν· 14  καὶ εἰ θέλετε δέξασθαι, αὐτός ἐστιν Ἠλίας ὁ μέλλων ἔρχεσθαι. 15  ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω.
11Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been treated with violence, and violent people are snatching it away. 13For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John; 14and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who was destined to come. 15Let the one who has ears hear!”
The Fickle Generation
16  Τίνι δὲ ὁμοιώσω τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην; ὁμοία ἐστὶν παιδίοις καθημένοις ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς ἃ προσφωνοῦντα τοῖς ἑτέροις 17  λέγουσιν,
16"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another, 17saying:
'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a funeral dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18  ἦλθεν γὰρ Ἰωάννης μήτε ἐσθίων μήτε πίνων, καὶ λέγουσιν, δαιμόνιον ἔχει. 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 ἔργων αὐτῆς.
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Woes to the Unrepentant Cities
20  Τότε ἤρξατο ὀνειδίζειν τὰς πόλεις ἐν αἷς ἐγένοντο αἱ πλεῖσται δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐ μετενόησαν· 21  οὐαί σοι, Χοραζίν, οὐαί σοι, Βηθσαϊδά· ὅτι εἰ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἐγένοντο αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ γενόμεναι ἐν ὑμῖν, πάλαι ἄν ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ μετενόησαν. 22  πλὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἢ ὑμῖν.
20Then He began to reproach the cities in which most of His miracles had taken place, because they did not repent: 21"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
23  καὶ σύ, Καφαρναούμ, ὅτι εἰ ἐν Σοδόμοις ἐγενήθησαν αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ γενόμεναι ἐν Σοὶ, ἔμεινεν ἄν μέχρι τῆς σήμερον. 24  πλὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι γῇ Σοδόμων ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἢ Σοὶ.
23And you, Capernaum,
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to Hades!
For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Sodom, it would have remained until this very day. 24Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
The Revelation to the Simple
25  Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, πάτερ, κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἔκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις· 26  ναὶ ὁ πατήρ, ὅτι οὕτως εὐδοκία ἐγένετο ἔμπροσθέν σου. 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.
25 At that time, Jesus spoke up and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone fully know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
The Easy Yoke