Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

9 ^(A)And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, ^2 (B)and he sent them out to ^(C)proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. ^3 (D)And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, ^(E)no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.^{[a] 4} And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. ⁵ And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town ^(F)shake off the dust from your feet ^(G)as a testimony ^(H)against them.” ^6 (I)And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Herod Is Perplexed by Jesus

^7 (J)Now ^(K)Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that ^(L)John had been raised from the dead, ^8 (M)by some that Elijah had appeared, and ^(N)by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. ⁹ Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And ^(O)he sought to see him.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹⁰ On their return ^(P)the apostles told him all that they had done. ^(Q)And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. ¹¹ When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he ^(R)welcomed them and ^(S)spoke to them of the kingdom of God and ^(T)cured those who had need of healing. ¹² Now ^(U)the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, ^(V)“Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” ¹³ But he said to them, ^(W)“You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than ^(X)five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ And they did so, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶ And taking the five loaves and the two fish, ^(Y)he looked up to heaven and ^(Z)said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^18 (AA)Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹ And they answered, ^(AB)“John the Baptist. But others say, ^(AC)Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” ²⁰ Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, ^(AD)“The Christ of God.”

Jesus Foretells His Death

^21 (AE)And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, ^22 (AF)saying, ^(AG)“The Son of Man must ^(AH)suffer many things and ^(AI)be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on ^(AJ)the third day be raised.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(AK)deny himself and ^(AL)take up his cross ^(AM)daily and follow me. ²⁴ For ^(AN)whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ^25 (AO)For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶ For ^(AP)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed ^(AQ)when he comes in ^(AR)his glory and the glory of the Father and of ^(AS)the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not ^(AT)taste death ^(AU)until they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration

^28 (AV)Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him ^(AW)Peter and John and James and ^(AX)went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was ^(AY)altered, and ^(AZ)his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,^[b] which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and those who were with him ^(BA)were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake ^(BB)they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three ^(BC)tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—^(BD)not knowing what he said. ³⁴ As he was saying these things, ^(BE)a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And ^(BF)a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, ^(BG)my Chosen One;^{[c] (BH)}listen to him!” ³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. ^(BI)And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

^37 (BJ)On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. ³⁸ And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for ^(BK)he is my only child. ³⁹ And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. ⁴⁰ And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but ^(BL)they could not.” ⁴¹ Jesus answered, “O ^(BM)faithless and twisted generation, ^(BN)how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴² While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus ^(BO)rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and ^(BP)gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And all were astonished at ^(BQ)the majesty of God.

Jesus Again Foretells His Death

^(BR)But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus^[d] said ^(BS)to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Let these words sink into your ears: ^(BT)The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” ^45 (BU)But they did not understand this saying, and ^(BV)it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Who Is the Greatest?

^46 (BW)An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷ But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side ⁴⁸ and said to them, ^(BX)“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and ^(BY)whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For ^(BZ)he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us

^49 (CA)John answered, “Master, we saw someone ^(CB)casting out demons in your name, and ^(CC)we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, ^(CD)for the one who is not against you is for you.”

A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus

⁵¹ When the days drew near for ^(CE)him to be taken up, ^(CF)he set his face ^(CG)to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² And ^(CH)he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of ^(CI)the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. ⁵³ But ^(CJ)the people did not receive him, because ^(CK)his face was set toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell ^(CL)fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”^{[e] 55} But he turned and rebuked them.^{[f] 56} And they went on to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were going ^(CM)along the road, ^(CN)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ And Jesus^[g] said to him, “Leave ^(CO)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and ^(CP)proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, ^(CQ)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶² Jesus said to him, ^(CR)“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

10 After this the Lord appointed ^(CS)seventy-two^[h] others and ^(CT)sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. ^2 (CU)And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ^(CV)Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³ Go your way; ^(CW)behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. ^4 (CX)Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and ^(CY)greet no one on the road. ⁵ Whatever house you enter, first say, ^(CZ)‘Peace be to this house!’ ⁶ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, ^(DA)it will return to you. ⁷ And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for ^(DB)the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. ⁸ Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick in it and say to them, ^(DC)‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ^11 (DD)‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that ^(DE)the kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, ^(DF)it will be more bearable on ^(DG)that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

^13 (DH)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in ^(DI)Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ^14 (DJ)But it will be more bearable in the judgment for ^(DK)Tyre and Sidon than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, ^(DL)will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to ^(DM)Hades.

^16 (DN)“The one who hears you hears me, and ^(DO)the one who rejects you rejects me, and ^(DP)the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The Return of the Seventy-Two

^17 (DQ)The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, ^(DR)even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸ And he said to them, ^(DS)“I saw Satan ^(DT)fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, I have given you authority ^(DU)to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of ^(DV)the enemy, and ^(DW)nothing shall hurt you. ^20 (DX)Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that ^(DY)your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Father's Will

^21 (DZ)In that same hour ^(EA)he rejoiced ^(EB)in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, ^(EC)Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(ED)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and ^(EE)revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for ^(EF)such was your gracious will.^{[i] 22 (EG)}All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is ^(EH)except the Father, or who the Father is ^(EI)except the Son and anyone ^(EJ)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then turning to the disciples he said privately, ^(EK)“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! ²⁴ For I tell you ^(EL)that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

^25 (EM)And behold, a ^(EN)lawyer stood up to ^(EO)put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to ^(EP)inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, ^(EQ)“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and ^(ER)your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; ^(ES)do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, ^(ET)desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man ^(EU)was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a ^(EV)priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise ^(EW)a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a ^(EX)Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and ^(EY)bound up his wounds, pouring on ^(EZ)oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two ^(FA)denarii^[j] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, Jesus^[k] entered a village. And a woman named ^(FB)Martha ^(FC)welcomed him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called ^(FD)Mary, who ^(FE)sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are ^(FF)anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary.^[l] Mary has chosen ^(FG)the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

The Lord's Prayer

11 Now Jesus^[m] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, ^(FH)as John taught his disciples.” ² And he said to them, ^(FI)“When you pray, say:

⁵ And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything ^(FR)because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence^[o] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ⁹ And I tell you, ^(FS)ask, and ^(FT)it will be given to you; ^(FU)seek, and you will find; ^(FV)knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for^[p] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, ^(FW)who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father ^(FX)give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

^14 (FY)Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons ^(FZ)by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” ¹⁶ while others, ^(GA)to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. ^17 (GB)But he, ^(GC)knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. ¹⁸ And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ^(GD)by whom do ^(GE)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by ^(GF)the finger of God that I cast out demons, then ^(GG)the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; ^22 (GH)but when one stronger than he attacks him and ^(GI)overcomes him, he takes away his ^(GJ)armor in which he trusted and ^(GK)divides his spoil. ^23 (GL)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

^24 (GM)“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ^(GN)waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And ^(GO)the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

²⁷ As he said these things, ^(GP)a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ^(GQ)“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” ²⁸ But he said, ^(GR)“Blessed rather are those ^(GS)who hear the word of God and ^(GT)keep it!”

The Sign of Jonah

^29 (GU)When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ^(GV)“This generation is an evil generation. ^(GW)It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as ^(GX)Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. ^31 (GY)The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and ^(GZ)condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^(HA)something greater than Solomon is here. ^32 (HB)The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^(HC)condemn it, for ^(HD)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^(HE)something greater than Jonah is here.

The Light in You

^33 (HF)“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is ^(HG)the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is ^(HH)bad, your body is full of darkness. ^35 (HI)Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, ^(HJ)as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

³⁷ While Jesus^[q] was speaking, ^(HK)a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was astonished to see ^(HL)that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹ And the Lord said to him, ^(HM)“Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of ^(HN)greed and wickedness. ^40 (HO)You fools! ^(HP)Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But ^(HQ)give as alms those things that are within, and behold, ^(HR)everything is clean for you.

^42 (HS)“But woe to you Pharisees! For ^(HT)you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect ^(HU)justice and ^(HV)the love of God. ^(HW)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For ^(HX)you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! ^(HY)For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of ^(HZ)the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” ⁴⁶ And he said, “Woe to you ^(IA)lawyers also! For ^(IB)you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ^47 (IC)Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. ^48 (ID)So you are witnesses and you ^(IE)consent to the deeds of ^(IF)your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also ^(IG)the Wisdom of God said, ^(IH)‘I will send them ^(II)prophets and apostles, ^(IJ)some of whom they will ^(IK)kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ so that ^(IL)the blood of all the prophets, shed ^(IM)from the foundation of the world, may be ^(IN)charged against this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of ^(IO)Abel to the blood of ^(IP)Zechariah, who perished between ^(IQ)the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be ^(IR)required of this generation. ⁵² Woe to you ^(IS)lawyers! ^(IT)For you have taken away the key of ^(IU)knowledge. You ^(IV)did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, ^54 (IW)lying in wait for him, ^(IX)to catch him in something he might say.