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Matthew 10
Christian Standard Bible

Commissioning the Twelve

10 Summoning his twelve disciples,(A) he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every[a] disease and sickness.[b](B) 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:(C) First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;[c] 4 Simon the Zealot,[d] and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.(D)

5 Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan(E) town. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep(F) of the house of Israel.(G) 7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’(H) 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy,[e] drive out demons.(I) Freely you received, freely give. 9 Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts.(J) 10 Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker(K) is worthy of his food. 11 When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 Greet a household when you enter it,(L) 13 and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.(M) 14 If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet(N) when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment(O) for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.(P)

Persecutions Predicted

16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.(Q) 17 Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts[f] and flog you in their synagogues.(R) 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.(S) 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak.(T) For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit(U) of your Father is speaking through you.(V)

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.(W) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name.(X) But the one who endures to the end will be saved.(Y) 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.(Z) For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple[g] is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.(AA) 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!(AB)

Fear God

26 “Therefore,(AC) don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.(AD) 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper,[h] proclaim on the housetops.(AE) 28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; (AF) rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.(AG) 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?[i] Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s(AH) consent.[j] 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.(AI) 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.(AJ)

Acknowledging Christ

32 “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.(AK) 33 But whoever denies me before others,(AL) I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. 34 Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.(AM) 35 For I came to turn

a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be
the members of his household.[k](AN)

37 The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; (AO) the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Anyone who finds his life will lose it,(AP) and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.(AQ)

A Cup of Cold Water

40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes me,(AR) and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.(AS) 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet(AT) because he is a prophet[l] will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous[m] will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives(AU) even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple,[n](AV) truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

Footnotes

  1. 10:1 Or every kind of
  2. 10:1 Or physical ailment
  3. 10:3 Other mss read and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus
  4. 10:4 Lit the Cananaean
  5. 10:8 Gk lepros; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14
  6. 10:17 Or sanhedrins
  7. 10:24 Or student
  8. 10:27 Lit in the ear
  9. 10:29 Gk assarion, a small copper coin
  10. 10:29 Lit ground apart from your Father
  11. 10:35–36 Mc 7:6
  12. 10:41 Lit prophet in the name of a prophet
  13. 10:41 Lit person in the name of a righteous person
  14. 10:42 Lit little ones in the name of a disciple
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Matthew 10
New King James Version

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. 2 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; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and [a]Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 (D)Simon the [b]Cananite, and Judas (E)Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Sending Out the Twelve(F)

5 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. 6 (I)But go rather to the (J)lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 (K)And as you go, preach, saying, (L)‘The kingdom of heaven [c]is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, [d]cleanse the lepers, [e]raise the dead, cast out demons. (M)Freely you have received, freely give. 9 (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
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Matthew 10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 10

The Mission of the Twelve. 1 [a]Then he summoned his twelve disciples[b] and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.(A) 2 The names of the twelve apostles[c] are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4 Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

The Commissioning of the Twelve. 5 (B)Jesus sent out these twelve[d] after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 (C)Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’(D) 8 [e]Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. 9 (E)Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; 10 (F)no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. 11 (G)Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter a house, wish it peace. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.[f] 14 [g](H)Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. 15 Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.(I)

Coming Persecutions. 16 (J)“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. 17 [h]But beware of people,(K) for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues,(L) 18 and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.(M) 20 For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 [i](N)Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end[j] will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.[k] 24 (O)No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,[l] how much more those of his household!

Courage Under Persecution. 26 (P)“Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.[m](Q) 27 What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.(R) 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. 30 Even all the hairs of your head are counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 [n]Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. 33 But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.(S)

Jesus: A Cause of Division. 34 (T)“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. 35 For I have come to set

a man ‘against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36     and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’

The Conditions of Discipleship. 37 (U)“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 and whoever does not take up his cross[o] and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39 [p](V)Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards. 40 “Whoever receives you receives me,[q] and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.(W) 41 [r]Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”(X)

Footnotes

  1. 10:1–11:1 After an introductory narrative (Mt 10:1–4), the second of the discourses of the gospel. It deals with the mission now to be undertaken by the disciples (Mt 10:5–15), but the perspective broadens and includes the missionary activity of the church between the time of the resurrection and the parousia.
  2. 10:1 His twelve disciples: although, unlike Mark (Mk 3:13–14) and Luke (Lk 6:12–16), Matthew has no story of Jesus’ choosing the Twelve, he assumes that the group is known to the reader. The earliest New Testament text to speak of it is 1 Cor 15:5. The number probably is meant to recall the twelve tribes of Israel and implies Jesus’ authority to call all Israel into the kingdom. While Luke (Lk 6:13) and probably Mark (Mk 4:10, 34) distinguish between the Twelve and a larger group also termed disciples, Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve. Authority…every illness: activities the same as those of Jesus; see Mt 4:23; Mt 9:35; 10:8. The Twelve also share in his proclamation of the kingdom (Mt 10:7). But although he teaches (Mt 4:23; 7:28; 9:35), they do not. Their commission to teach comes only after Jesus’ resurrection, after they have been fully instructed by him (Mt 28:20).
  3. 10:2–4 Here, for the only time in Matthew, the Twelve are designated apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” and therefore fits the situation here described. In the Pauline letters, the place where the term occurs most frequently in the New Testament, it means primarily one who has seen the risen Lord and has been commissioned to proclaim the resurrection. With slight variants in Luke and Acts, the names of those who belong to this group are the same in the four lists given in the New Testament (see note on Mt 9:9). Cananean: this represents an Aramaic word meaning “zealot.” The meaning of that designation is unclear (see note on Lk 6:15).
  4. 10:5–6 Like Jesus (Mt 15:24), the Twelve are sent only to Israel. This saying may reflect an original Jewish Christian refusal of the mission to the Gentiles, but for Matthew it expresses rather the limitation that Jesus himself observed during his ministry.
  5. 10:8–11 The Twelve have received their own call and mission through God’s gift, and the benefits they confer are likewise to be given freely. They are not to take with them money, provisions, or unnecessary clothing; their lodging and food will be provided by those who receive them.
  6. 10:13 The greeting of peace is conceived of not merely as a salutation but as an effective word. If it finds no worthy recipient, it will return to the speaker.
  7. 10:14 Shake the dust from your feet: this gesture indicates a complete disassociation from such unbelievers.
  8. 10:17 The persecutions attendant upon the post-resurrection mission now begin to be spoken of. Here Matthew brings into the discourse sayings found in Mk 13 which deals with events preceding the parousia.
  9. 10:21 See Mi 7:6 which is cited in Mt 10:35, 36.
  10. 10:22 To the end: the original meaning was probably “until the parousia.” But it is not likely that Matthew expected no missionary disciples to suffer death before then, since he envisages the martyrdom of other Christians (Mt 10:21). For him, the end is probably that of the individual’s life (see Mt 10:28).
  11. 10:23 Before the Son of Man comes: since the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age had not taken place when this gospel was written, much less during the mission of the Twelve during Jesus’ ministry, Matthew cannot have meant the coming to refer to the parousia. It is difficult to know what he understood it to be: perhaps the “proleptic parousia” of Mt 28:16–20, or the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, viewed as a coming of Jesus in judgment on unbelieving Israel.
  12. 10:25 Beelzebul: see Mt 9:34 for the charge linking Jesus with “the prince of demons,” who is named Beelzebul in Mt 12:24. The meaning of the name is uncertain; possibly, “lord of the house.”
  13. 10:26 The concealed and secret coming of the kingdom is to be proclaimed by them, and no fear must be allowed to deter them from that proclamation.
  14. 10:32–33 In the Q parallel (Lk 12:8–9), the Son of Man will acknowledge those who have acknowledged Jesus, and those who deny him will be denied (by the Son of Man) before the angels of God at the judgment. Here Jesus and the Son of Man are identified, and the acknowledgment or denial will be before his heavenly Father.
  15. 10:38 The first mention of the cross in Matthew, explicitly that of the disciple, but implicitly that of Jesus (and follow after me). Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Romans for offenders who were not Roman citizens.
  16. 10:39 One who denies Jesus in order to save one’s earthly life will be condemned to everlasting destruction; loss of earthly life for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded by everlasting life in the kingdom.
  17. 10:40–42 All who receive the disciples of Jesus receive him, and God who sent him, and will be rewarded accordingly.
  18. 10:41 A prophet: one who speaks in the name of God; here, the Christian prophets who proclaim the gospel. Righteous man: since righteousness is demanded of all the disciples, it is difficult to take the righteous man of this verse and one of these little ones (Mt 10:42) as indicating different groups within the followers of Jesus. Probably all three designations are used here of Christian missionaries as such.
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