A Deputation from John

¹⁸ The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. ¹⁹ Summoning ^[a]two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the ^[b]Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” ²⁰ When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the ^[c]Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’” ²¹ At that ^[d]very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. ²² And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them. ²³ Blessed is he ^[e]who does not take offense at Me.”

²⁴ When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ^25 [f]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft ^[g]clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written,

²⁸ I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is ^[i]least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹ When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they ^[j]acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the ^[k]lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by ^[l]John.

³¹ “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ ³³ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a ^[m]drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ^[n]sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

³⁶ Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to ^[o]dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ And there was a woman in the city who was a ^[p]sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, ³⁸ and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a ^[q]sinner.”

Parable of Two Debtors

⁴⁰ And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he ^[r]replied, “Say it, Teacher.” ⁴¹ “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred ^[s]denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴ Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say ^[t]to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Parable of the Sword of the Lord

21 ^[a]And the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and ^[b]speak against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel; ³ and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am against you; and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. ⁴ Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. ⁵ Thus all flesh will know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath. It will not return to its sheath again.”’ ⁶ As for you, son of man, groan with breaking ^[c]heart and bitter grief, groan in their sight. ⁷ And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming; and every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will ^[d]faint and all knees will ^[e]be weak as water. Behold, it comes and it will happen,’ declares the Lord ^[f]God.”

⁸ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ Say,

Or shall we rejoice, the ^[h]rod of My son despising every tree? ¹¹ It is given to be polished, that it may be handled; the sword is sharpened and polished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. ¹² Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people, it is against all the officials of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with My people, therefore strike your thigh. ¹³ For there is a testing; and what if even the ^[i]rod which despises will be no more?” declares the Lord God.

¹⁴ “You therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, ¹⁵ that their hearts may melt, and many fall at all their gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter. ^16 [j]Show yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to the left, wherever your ^[k]edge is appointed. ¹⁷ I will also clap My hands together, and I will ^[l]appease My wrath; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Instrument of God’s Judgment

¹⁸ The word of the Lord came to me saying, ¹⁹ “As for you, son of man, ^[m]make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And ^[n]make a signpost; ^[o]make it at the head of the way to the city. ²⁰ You shall ^[p]mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem. ²¹ For the king of Babylon stands at the ^[q]parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the ^[r]household idols, he looks at the liver. ²² Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to set battering rams, to open the mouth ^[s]for slaughter, to lift up the voice with a battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. ²³ And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn oaths. But he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized.

²⁴ “Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you will be seized with the hand. ²⁵ And you, O slain, wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the ^[t]punishment of the end,’ ²⁶ thus says the Lord God, ‘Remove the turban and take off the crown; this will ^[u]no longer be the same. Exalt that which is low and abase that which is high. ²⁷ A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it. This also will be no more until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.’

²⁸ “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their reproach,’ and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it ^[v]to consume, that it may be like lightning— ²⁹ while they see for you false visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, in the time of the ^[w]punishment of the end. ³⁰ Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. ³¹ I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, ^[x]skilled in destruction. ³² You will be ^[y]fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”