And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.
And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”
Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.
For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.