⁹ Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out toward me, and in it there was a rolled-up scroll. ¹⁰ He unrolled it in front of me, and there was writing on both sides. Written on it was: Laments, Groaning, and Woe.

3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat what you have received. Eat this scroll, and then go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll.

³ Then he said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll that I am giving you.” I ate, and in my mouth it was sweet like honey.

⁴ He then said to me, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. ⁵ For you are not being sent to a people who have incomprehensible speech or a difficult language, but you are being sent to the house of Israel. ⁶ Nor are you being sent to many peoples who have incomprehensible speech and difficult languages, whose words you cannot understand. Certainly, if I were to send you to such people, they would listen to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, because the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. ⁸ Look, I have made your face just as hard as their faces and your forehead just as hard as their foreheads. ⁹ I have made your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not fear them, and do not be intimidated by their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Then he said to me, “Son of man, receive into your heart all my words that I will speak to you, and hear them with your ears. ¹¹ Go now to the exiles, to your own people.^[a] You shall speak to them and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ whether they listen or they do not.”

Admonition to Elders

5 Therefore, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and as one who also shares in the glory that is about to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: ² Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers, not grudgingly but willingly, as God desires,^[a] not because you are greedy for money but because you are eager to do it. ³ Do not lord it over those entrusted to your care, but be examples for the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.

Jesus Appoints Seventy-Two

10 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them out two by two ahead of him^[b] to every town and place where he was about to go.

² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go your way. Look, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not carry a money bag or traveler’s bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the way. ⁵ Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ ⁶ And if a peaceful person is there, your peace will rest on him, but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Remain in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, because the worker is worthy of his pay. Do not keep moving from house to house. ⁸ Whenever you enter a town and they welcome you, eat what is set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are in the town and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’

¹⁰ “But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust from your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on that day than for that town.

¹⁶ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!”

¹⁸ He told them, “I was watching Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Look, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing will ever harm you. ²⁰ Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names have been written in heaven.”