NLT

NLT

Click to Change

Return to Top

Return to Top

Printer Icon

Print

Copy
Copy Options
Format by: Verse Paragraph
Strong's
Red Letter
Audio Bibles
The Blue Letter Bible

Matthew 11 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

toggle collapse
Choose a new font size and typeface
Audio Bibles
Jesus and John the Baptist
(Luk 7:18–35 )
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:1 - When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:2 - John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus,
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:3 - “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting,[fn] or should we keep looking for someone else?”
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:4 - Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:5 - the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:6 - And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.[fn]’”
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:7 - As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind?
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:8 - Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:9 - Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:10 - John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,
‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
and he will prepare your way before you.’[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:11 - “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:12 - And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing,[fn] and violent people are attacking it.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:13 - For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:14 - And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:15 - Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:16 - “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:17 - ‘We played wedding songs,
and you didn’t dance,
so we played funeral songs,
and you didn’t mourn.’
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:18 - For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:19 - The Son of Man,[fn] on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
Judgment for the Unbelievers
(Gen 19:12–14; Luk 10:13–15 )
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:20 - Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:21 - “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:22 - I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:23 - “And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.[fn] For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:24 - I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”
Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Luk 10:21, 22 )
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:25 - At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:26 - Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:27 - “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:28 - Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Unchecked Copy BoxMat 11:30 - For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
NLT Footnotes
Greek Are you the one who is coming?
Or who are not offended by me.
Mal 3:1.
Or the Kingdom of Heaven has suffered from violence.
See Mal 4:5.
“Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
Greek to Hades.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

BLB Searches
Search the Bible
NLT
 [?]

Advanced Options

Other Searches

Multi-Verse Retrieval
x
NLT

Daily Devotionals
x

Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness.

Daily Bible Reading Plans
x

Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one's mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year.

One-Year Plans

Two-Year Plan