⁷ Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a large crowd from Galilee followed Him; and also people from Judea, ⁸ and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and [from the region] beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon; a vast number of people came to Him because they were hearing about all [the things] that He was doing. ⁹ And He told His disciples to have a small boat stand ready for Him because of the many people, so that they would not crowd Him; ¹⁰ for He had healed many, and as a result all who had diseases pressed around Him to touch Him. ¹¹ Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and screamed out, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² Jesus sternly warned them [again and again] not to tell who He was.

The Twelve Are Chosen

¹³ He went up on the hillside and called those whom He Himself wanted and chose; and they came to Him. ¹⁴ And He appointed ^[a]twelve [disciples], so that they would be with Him [for instruction] and so that He could send them out to preach [the gospel as apostles—that is, as His special messengers, personally chosen representatives], ¹⁵ and to have authority and power to cast out demons. ¹⁶ He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),^{(A) 17} and James, the son of ^[b]Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”); ¹⁸ and [He also appointed] Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew (Nathanael), and Matthew (Levi the tax collector), and Thomas, and ^[c]James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus (Judas the son of James), and Simon the Zealot; ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.