⁷ He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.^(A)

The Value of a Friend

⁹ Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up the other, but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.

The Return of the Seventy-Two

¹⁷ The seventy-two^[a] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”^{(A) 18} He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.^{(B) 19} Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.^{(C) 20} Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”^(D)

The Twelve Apostles

10 Then Jesus^[a] summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.^{(A) 2} These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus;^{[b] 4} Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.^(B)

The Mission of the Twelve

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town,^(C)

³ And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth.”^(A)

³ Go on your way; I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.^{(A) 4} Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.^{(B) 5} Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’^{(C) 6} And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.^{(D) 8} Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹ cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’^{[a](E) 10} But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’^{[b](F) 12} I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.^(G)

The Mission of the Seventy-Two

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.^(A)

The Mission of the Twelve

9 Then Jesus^[a] called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,^{(A) 2} and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.^{(B) 3} He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey: no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.^{(C) 4} Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. ⁵ Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”^{(D) 6} So they departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

¹³ And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:^{(A) 14} Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, ¹⁵ and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.^(B)