Jesus responded,“ Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt?

耶稣说：“以利亚固然先来复兴万事；经上不是指着人子说，他要受许多的苦被人轻慢呢？

耶稣说：“以利亚的确先来复兴万事。经上不是指着人子说，他要受许多的苦和被人轻慢吗？

耶稣说：“以利亚的确先来复兴万事。经上不是指着人子说，他要受许多的苦和被人轻慢吗？

耶稣回答说：“以利亚固然要先来复兴一切，但为什么圣经上说人子一定会饱受痛苦、遭人蔑视呢？

耶稣说：“以利亚固然要先来复兴一切，但圣经为什么又记载人子要受许多苦，被人藐视呢？

耶稣告诉他们：“以利亚确实要先来恢复万事。至于人子，经上怎么还记载说，他必然受很多苦害，并且被人拒绝呢？

耶穌說：「以利亞固然先來復興萬事；經上不是指着人子說，他要受許多的苦被人輕慢呢？

耶穌說：「以利亞的確先來復興萬事。經上不是指着人子說，他要受許多的苦和被人輕慢嗎？

耶穌說：「以利亞的確先來復興萬事。經上不是指着人子說，他要受許多的苦和被人輕慢嗎？

耶穌回答說：「以利亞固然要先來復興一切，但為什麼聖經上說人子一定會飽受痛苦、遭人蔑視呢？

耶穌說：“以利亞固然要先來復興一切，但聖經為甚麼又記載人子要受許多苦，被人藐視呢？

耶穌對他們說：『「以利亞先來、復興萬事！」那麼那指着人子、說他該受許多苦、並被藐視、是怎麼記載的呢？

耶穌告訴他們：「以利亞確實要先來恢復萬事。至於人子，經上怎麼還記載說，他必然受很多苦害，並且被人拒絕呢？

耶穌曰、以利亞果先至、興復諸事、但記云、人子必經諸苦、為人所忽、何耶、

曰、以利亞先至、振興諸事、而人子必備受害、為人所忽、記已言之、

耶穌謂之曰、以利亞必先至、振興諸事、而經指人子何所載、蓋載人子必多受苦、為人所侮、

答曰：『伊理靄固需先來振興萬事、然經不亦言人子應如何備嘗苦辱乎？

Jesus replied,“ To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?

Jesus replied,“ That’s right. Elijah does come first. He makes all things new again. So why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and not be accepted?

And he said to them,“ Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

“ Elijah does come first and restores all things,” he replied.“ Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

And He said to them,“ Elijah does come first and he restores all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

Then He answered and told them,“ Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

And he said unto them, Elijah indeed cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be set at nought?

“ Elijah does come first and restores everything,” He replied.“ How then is it written about the Son of Man that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

He said to them,“ Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised?

He said to them,“ Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised?

Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.

Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

The Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations, to the one who is the servant of rulers:“ Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will also bow low because of the Lord, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.

And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

“ Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, the man who is my partner,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.“ Strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn against the lambs.

Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.For I endure insults for your sake; humiliation is written all over my face.Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.When I weep and fast, they scoff at me.When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me.I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters.Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies.You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing.Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap.Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually.Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger.Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted.To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt.Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free.Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous.I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them.For God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land.The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety.

His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,“ Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,“ Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,“ He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them.“ You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed.“ Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.Don’t just say to each other,‘ We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.“ I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am— so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never ending fire.”

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying,“ Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!”Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me.My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet.I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat.They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.O Lord, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!Save me from the sword; spare my precious life from these dogs.Snatch me from the lion’s jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen.I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him.For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations.Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust.Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.

For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

“ And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

“ A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler— the Anointed One— comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.“ After this period of sixty two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed,“ So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself— and us, too, while you’re at it!”

just as the prophet Isaiah had written:“ Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.John announced:“ Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am— so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

God sent a man, John the Baptist,to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.They are reborn— not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds,“ This is the one I was talking about when I said,‘ Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John,“ Who are you?”He came right out and said,“ I am not the Messiah.”“ Well then, who are you?” they asked.“ Are you Elijah?”“ No,” he replied.“ Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”“ No.”“ Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:“ I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘ Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”Then the Pharisees who had been sentasked him,“ If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”John told them,“ I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“ Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!He is the one I was talking about when I said,‘ A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”Then John testified,“ I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me,‘ The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples.As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared,“ Look! There is the Lamb of God!”

Arise, O God, and defend your cause. Remember how these fools insult you all day long.

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus,“ Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”Jesus told them,“ Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”And he added,“ God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”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?Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces.Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet.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.’“ 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!And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!“ To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,‘ We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say,‘ He’s possessed by a demon.’

Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness.Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,“ He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth.And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’”

John replied,“ No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.You yourselves know how plainly I told you,‘ I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success.He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

And the Lord said to me,“ Throw it to the potter”— this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.