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Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to himself and gave them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans. Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Cleanse lepers. Drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Do not take gold, silver, or bronze in your money belts. 10 Do not take a bag for the journey, or two coats, sandals, or a staff, because the worker deserves his support. 11 Whenever you enter a town or village, find out who is worthy and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the household, give it your greeting. 13 If the household is worthy, let your peace rest on it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone does not receive you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or that town. 15 Amen I tell you: It will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on guard against people. They will hand you over to councils, and they will whip you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought into the presence of governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 Whenever they hand you over, do not be worried about how you will respond or what you will say, because what you say will be given to you in that hour. 20 In fact you will not be the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.

21 “Brother will hand over his brother to death, and a father will do the same with his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by all people because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. 23 And when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Amen I tell you: You will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his master. If the master of the house was called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, because there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?[a] Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Everyone who confesses me before others, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.[b]

37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple—Amen I tell you—he will never lose his reward.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:29 Greek assarion, less than a half hour’s wage
  2. Matthew 10:36 Micah 7:6

The Twelve Apostles(A)

10 And (B)when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, (C)who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and [a]Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; (D)Simon the [b]Cananite, and Judas (E)Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Sending Out the Twelve(F)

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: (G)“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of (H)the Samaritans. (I)But go rather to the (J)lost sheep of the house of Israel. (K)And as you go, preach, saying, (L)‘The kingdom of heaven [c]is at hand.’ Heal the sick, [d]cleanse the lepers, [e]raise the dead, cast out demons. (M)Freely you have received, freely give. (N)Provide neither gold nor silver nor (O)copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; (P)for a worker is worthy of his food.

11 (Q)“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it. 13 (R)If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. (S)But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 (T)And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, (U)shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, (V)it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

Persecutions Are Coming(W)

16 (X)“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. (Y)Therefore be wise as serpents and (Z)harmless[f] as doves. 17 But beware of men, for (AA)they will deliver you up to councils and (AB)scourge you in their synagogues. 18 (AC)You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 (AD)But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For (AE)it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 (AF)for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

21 (AG)“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And (AH)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. (AI)But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 (AJ)When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have (AK)gone through the cities of Israel (AL)before the Son of Man comes.

24 (AM)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If (AN)they have called the master of the house [g]Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. (AO)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God(AP)

27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, (AQ)speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 (AR)And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather (AS)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [h]hell. 29 Are not two (AT)sparrows sold for a [i]copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 (AU)But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Confess Christ Before Men(AV)

32 (AW)“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, (AX)him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 (AY)But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Christ Brings Division(AZ)

34 (BA)“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to (BB)‘set[j] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and (BC)‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 (BD)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 (BE)And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 (BF)He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

A Cup of Cold Water(BG)

40 (BH)“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 (BI)He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 (BJ)And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:3 NU omits Lebbaeus, whose surname was
  2. Matthew 10:4 NU Cananaean
  3. Matthew 10:7 has drawn near
  4. Matthew 10:8 NU raise the dead, cleanse the lepers
  5. Matthew 10:8 M omits raise the dead
  6. Matthew 10:16 innocent
  7. Matthew 10:25 NU, M Beelzebul; a Philistine deity, 2 Kin. 1:2, 3
  8. Matthew 10:28 Gr. Gehenna
  9. Matthew 10:29 Gr. assarion, a coin worth about 1⁄16 of a denarius
  10. Matthew 10:35 alienate a man from