^7 (A)Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and ^(B)a large multitude from Galilee followed, and also from Judea, ⁸ and from Jerusalem, and from ^(C)Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of ^(D)Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard about everything that He was doing and came to Him. ^9 (E)And He told His disciples to see that a boat would be ready for Him because of the ^[a]masses, so that they would not crowd Him; ¹⁰ for He had ^(F)healed many, with the result that all those who had ^(G)diseases pushed in around Him in order to ^(H)touch Him. ¹¹ And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are ^(I)the Son of God!” ¹² And He ^(J)strongly warned them not to ^[b]reveal who He was.

The Twelve Are Chosen

¹³ And He *went up on ^(K)the mountain and *^(L)summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. ¹⁴ And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have authority to cast out the demons. ¹⁶ And He appointed the twelve: ^(M)Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), ^17 [c]James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of ^[d]James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); ¹⁸ and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, ^[e]James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the ^[f]Zealot; ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.