Part 3 (1/2)

(40)He that receives you receives me; and he that receives me receives him who sent me. (41)He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. (42)And whoever shall give to drink a cup of cold water only to one of these little ones, in the name of a disciple, verily I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.

XI.

AND it came to pa.s.s, when Jesus made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, that he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

(2)And John, having heard in the prison the works of the Christ, sent by his disciples, (3)and said to him: Art thou he that comes, or look we for another?

(4)And Jesus answering said to them: Go and report to John what ye hear and see. (5)The blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor good tidings are published. (6)And happy is he, whoever shall not be offended at me.

(7)And as these were departing, Jesus began to say to the mult.i.tudes concerning John: What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind?

(8)But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they who wear soft clothing are in king's houses.

(9)But what went ye out to see? A prophet[11:9]? Yea, I say to you, and more than a prophet. (10)For this is he of whom it is written:

Behold, I send forth my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee.

(11)Verily I say to you, among those born of women, there has not risen a greater than John the Immerser. But he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

(12)And from the days of John the Immerser until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent seize upon it. (13)For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. (14)And if ye are willing to receive it, he is the Elijah that should come. (15)He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

(16)But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like to children sitting in the markets, who call to their fellows, (17)and say: We piped to you, and ye danced not; we sang the lament, and ye did not beat the breast. (18)For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say: He has a demon. (19)The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom was justified on the part of her children.

(20)Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his miracles were done, because they repented not. (21)Woe to thee, Chorazin! Woe to thee, Bethsaida! For if the miracles, that were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. (22)But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you.

(23)And thou, Capernaum, [11:23a]that wast exalted to heaven, shalt go down to the underworld[11:23b]. For if the miracles, that were done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

(24)But I say to you, that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

(25)At that time Jesus answered and said: I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and discerning, and reveal them to babes; (26)yea, O Father, that so it seemed good in thy sight! (27)All things were delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son but the Father; nor does any one know the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son is pleased to reveal him.

(28)Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (29)Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest for your souls.

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

XII.

AT that time Jesus went on the sabbath through the grain-fields; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck ears of grain, and to eat. (2)And the Pharisees seeing it said to him: Behold, thy disciples are doing that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath. (3)And he said to them: Have ye not read what David did, when he hungered, himself and those with him; (4)how he entered into the house of G.o.d, and ate the show-bread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? (5)Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? (6)But I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here. (7)But if ye had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the blameless.

(8)For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath.

(9)And departing from thence, he went into their synagogue. (10)And behold, there was a man, having his hand withered. And they asked him, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? that they might accuse him. (11)And he said to them: What man will there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it, and raise it up? (12)How much better then is a man than a sheep! So that it is lawful to do well on the sabbath. (13)Then he says to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other.

(14)And the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. (15)But Jesus, knowing it, withdrew from thence; and great mult.i.tudes followed him, and he healed them all. (16)And he charged them that they should not make him known; (17)that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying:

(18)Behold my servant, whom I chose, My beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my spirit upon him, And he will declare judgment to the Gentiles.

(19)He will not strive, nor cry; Nor will any one hear his voice in the streets.

(20)A bruised reed he will not break, And smoking flax he will not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory.

(21)And in his name will Gentiles hope.

(22)Then was brought to him one possessed with a demon, blind, and dumb; and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both[12:22] spoke and saw. (23)And all the mult.i.tudes were amazed, and said: Is this the Son of David? (24)But the Pharisees hearing it said: This man does not cast out the demons, except through Beelzebul, prince of the demons.