¹ AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished his injunctions to his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and preach in their cities.

² Then John, having heard in prison the works of Christ, sent two of his disciples,

³ and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or should we expect another?

⁴ And Jesus answering said unto them, Go, and tell John what things ye hear and see.

⁵ The blind receive sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

⁶ And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended at me.

⁷ And when they were gone, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

⁸ But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in delicate garments? Lo! they who wear delicate garments are in the houses of kings.

⁹ Yet what went ye out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and abundantly more than a prophet.

¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written, “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.”

¹¹ Verily I say unto you, There hath not arisen, from those born of women, a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

¹² But from the days of John the Baptist unto the present, the kingdom of heaven is assaulted by violence, and the invaders forcibly seize upon it.

¹³ For all the prophets and the law until John, foretold this.

¹⁴ And if ye will receive it, this is Elias who was to come.

¹⁵ He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

¹⁶ But to whom shall I resemble this generation? it is like little boys sitting in the places of concourse, and calling to their companions,

¹⁷ and saying, We have piped to you, and ye have not danced; we have sung mournful ditties to you, and ye have not beat your breasts.

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil:

¹⁹ the Son of man is come eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, what a man! a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners: though wisdom hath been justified by her children.

²⁰ Then began he to upbraid the cities in which the chief of his miracles had been wrought, because they repented not:

²¹ Wo unto thee, Chorazin! wo unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the miracles which had been wrought in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, long since would they have repented in sack-cloth and ashes.

²² Wherefore I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

²³ And thou, Capernaum, who hast been exalted unto heaven, shalt be cast down to hell: for if the miracles which have been wrought in thee had been done in Sodom, it had remained unto this day.

²⁴ Wherefore I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.

²⁵ At that time Jesus spake and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and the intelligent, and hast revealed them to babes:

²⁶ yes, Father! since such is thy good pleasure.

²⁷ All things are delivered up to me by my Father: and no person knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any person the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son is pleased to reveal him.

²⁸ Come to me, all who labour hard, and sustain heavy burdens, and I will give you relief.

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest to your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.