^39 (A)Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few

^35 (A)And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. ^36 (B)When he saw the crowds, ^(C)he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, ^(D)like sheep without a shepherd. ^37 (E)Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ^(F)pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to ^(G)send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

^5 (A)So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and ^(B)they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; ⁶ they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, ^(C)with none to search or seek for them.

⁷ “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ^8 (D)As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because ^(E)my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God, ^(F)Behold, I am against the shepherds, and ^(G)I will require my sheep at their hand and ^(H)put a stop to their feeding the sheep. ^(I)No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. ^(J)I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

The Lord God Will Seek Them Out

¹¹ “For thus says the Lord God: ^(K)Behold, I, I ^(L)myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. ¹² As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on ^(M)a day of clouds and ^(N)thick darkness. ¹³ And I will bring them out from the peoples ^(O)and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on ^(P)the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ^14 (Q)I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. ^(R)There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ^15 (S)I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, ^(T)and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. ^16 (U)I will seek the lost, ^(V)and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and ^(W)the fat and the strong I will destroy.^[a] I will feed them in justice.

^11 (A)I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd ^(B)lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is ^(C)a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ^(D)leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and ^(E)scatters them. ¹³ He flees because ^(F)he is a hired hand and ^(G)cares nothing for the sheep. ^14 (H)I am the good shepherd. ^(I)I know my own and ^(J)my own know me, ^15 (K)just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and ^(L)I lay down my life for the sheep.

^24 (A)He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we ^(B)might die to sin and ^(C)live to righteousness. ^(D)By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For ^(E)you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to ^(F)the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

The Twelve Apostles

10 ^(A)And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. ^2 (B)The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, ^(C)who is called Peter, and ^(D)Andrew his brother; ^(E)James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and ^(F)Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;^{[a] 4} Simon the Zealot,^[b] and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

^5 (G)These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of ^(H)the Samaritans, ^6 (I)but go rather to ^(J)the lost sheep of ^(K)the house of Israel. ⁷ And proclaim as you go, saying, ^(L)‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’^{[c] 8 (M)}Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,^[d] cast out demons. ^(N)You received without paying; give without pay. ^9 (O)Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, ¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics^[e] or sandals or a staff, for ^(P)the laborer deserves his food. ¹¹ And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. ¹² As you enter the house, ^(Q)greet it. ¹³ And if the house is ^(R)worthy, let ^(S)your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let ^(T)your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, ^(U)shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, ^(V)it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for ^(W)the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

^19 (A)Go therefore and ^(B)make disciples of ^(C)all nations, ^(D)baptizing them ^(E)in^{[a] (F)}the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them ^(G)to observe all that ^(H)I have commanded you. And behold, ^(I)I am with you always, to ^(J)the end of the age.”