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Chapter 10

The Mission of the Twelve. [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) 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; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

The Commissioning of the Twelve. (B)Jesus sent out these twelve[d] after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. (C)Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’(D) [e]Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. (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.

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. 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; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;[b] Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

The Mission of the Twelve

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’[c] Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,[d] cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Coming Persecutions

16 “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

Whom to Fear

26 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[e] 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

32 “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

37 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 the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:1 Gk he
  2. Matthew 10:3 Other ancient authorities read Lebbaeus, or Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus
  3. Matthew 10:7 Or is at hand
  4. Matthew 10:8 The terms leper and leprosy can refer to several diseases
  5. Matthew 10:28 Gk Gehenna

Mission of the Twelve

10 He called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to throw them out and to heal every disease and every sickness. Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who is called Peter; and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee; and John his brother; Philip; and Bartholomew; Thomas; and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean;[a] and Judas, who betrayed Jesus.

Commissioning of the Twelve

Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Don’t go among the Gentiles or into a Samaritan city. Go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment. Workers deserve to be fed, so don’t gather gold or silver or copper coins for your money belts to take on your trips. 10 Don’t take a backpack for the road or two shirts or sandals or a walking stick. 11 Whatever city or village you go into, find somebody in it who is worthy and stay there until you go on your way. 12 When you go into a house, say, ‘Peace!’ 13 If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if the house isn’t worthy, take back your blessing. 14 If anyone refuses to welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or city. 15 I assure you that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than it will be for that city.

Response to harassment

16 “Look, I’m sending you as sheep among wolves. Therefore, be wise as snakes and innocent as doves. 17 Watch out for people—because they will hand you over to councils and they will beat you in their synagogues. 18 They will haul you in front of governors and even kings because of me so that you may give your testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 Whenever they hand you over, don’t worry about how to speak or what you will say, because what you can say will be given to you at that moment. 20 You aren’t doing the talking, but the Spirit of my Father is doing the talking through you. 21 Brothers and sisters will hand each other over to be executed. A father will turn his child in. Children will defy their parents and have them executed. 22 Everyone will hate you on account of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved. 23 Whenever they harass you in one city, escape to the next, because I assure that you will not go through all the cities of Israel before the Human One[b] comes.

24 “Disciples aren’t greater than their teacher, and slaves aren’t greater than their master. 25 It’s enough for disciples to be like their teacher and slaves like their master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, it’s certain that they will call the members of his household by even worse names.

Whom to fear

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of those people because nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing secret that won’t be brought out into the open. 27 What I say to you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, announce from the rooftops. 28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it already. 30 Even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

Confessing Christ to people

32 “Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Trouble in the family

34 “Don’t think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I haven’t come to bring peace but a sword. 35 I’ve come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 People’s enemies are members of their own households.[c]

37 “Those who love father or mother more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who love son or daughter more than me aren’t worthy of me. 38 Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me. 39 Those who find their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives because of me will find them.

Rewards

40 “Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me. 41 Those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Those who receive a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 I assure you that everybody who gives even a cup of cold water to these little ones because they are my disciples will certainly be rewarded.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:4 Or zealot
  2. Matthew 10:23 Or Son of Man
  3. Matthew 10:36 Mic 7:6

The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service

10 Jesus (A)summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to (B)heal every disease and every sickness.

(C)Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, (D)Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother (E)Andrew; and [a](F)James the son of Zebedee, and his brother [b]John; (G)Philip and [c]Bartholomew; (H)Thomas and (I)Matthew the tax collector; [d](J)James the son of Alphaeus, and (K)Thaddaeus; Simon the [e]Zealot, and (L)Judas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed Him.

(M)These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road [f]to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of (N)Samaritans; but rather go to (O)the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, [g]preach, saying, ‘(P)The kingdom of heaven [h]has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. (Q)Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a [i]bag for your journey, or even two [j]tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for (R)the worker is deserving of his [k]support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay [l]at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the [m]house, (S)give it your [n]greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, [o]take back your blessing of peace. 14 And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, (T)shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, (U)it will be more tolerable for the land of (V)Sodom and Gomorrah on (W)the day of judgment, than for that city.

A Hard Road Ahead of Them

16 (X)Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as (Y)wary as serpents, and as (Z)innocent as doves. 17 But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the (AA)courts and flog you (AB)in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 (AC)But when they hand you over, (AD)do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. 20 For (AE)it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking [p]in you.

21 “Now (AF)brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and (AG)children will rise up against parents and [q]cause them to be put to death. 22 And (AH)you will be hated by all because of My name, but (AI)it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

23 “But whenever they (AJ)persecute you in [r]one city, flee to the [s]next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel (AK)until the Son of Man comes.

The Meaning of Discipleship

24 (AL)A [t]disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. (AM)If they have called the head of the house [u](AN)Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!

26 “So do not (AO)fear them, (AP)for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 (AQ)What I tell you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim (AR)on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather (AS)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [v](AT)hell. 29 (AU)Are two sparrows not sold for an [w]assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But (AV)even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not fear; (AW)you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

32 “Therefore, (AX)everyone who [x]confesses Me before people, I will also confess [y]him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But (AY)whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

34 (AZ)Do not think that I came to [z]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to [aa]bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to (BA)turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and (BB)a persons enemies will be the members of his household.

37 (BC)The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And (BD)the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 (BE)The one who has found his [ab]life will lose it, and the one who has lost his [ac]life on My account will find it.

The Reward for Service

40 (BF)The one who [ad]receives you [ae]receives Me, and (BG)the one who [af]receives Me [ag]receives Him who sent Me. 41 (BH)The one who [ah]receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who [ai]receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And (BI)whoever gives one of these [aj]little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:2 Or Jacob
  2. Matthew 10:2 Gr Joannes, for Heb Johanan
  3. Matthew 10:3 I.e., son of Talmai (Aram)
  4. Matthew 10:3 Or Jacob
  5. Matthew 10:4 Or Cananaean
  6. Matthew 10:5 Lit of
  7. Matthew 10:7 Or proclaim
  8. Matthew 10:7 Or is at hand
  9. Matthew 10:10 Or knapsack; or beggar’s bag
  10. Matthew 10:10 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  11. Matthew 10:10 Lit nourishment
  12. Matthew 10:11 Lit there until
  13. Matthew 10:12 Or household
  14. Matthew 10:12 I.e., the familiar Heb blessing, “Peace be to this house!”
  15. Matthew 10:13 Lit your peace is to return to you
  16. Matthew 10:20 Or by you
  17. Matthew 10:21 Lit put them to death
  18. Matthew 10:23 Lit this
  19. Matthew 10:23 Lit other
  20. Matthew 10:24 Or student
  21. Matthew 10:25 Two early mss Beezebul; meaning uncertain, perhaps lord prince, referring to Satan
  22. Matthew 10:28 Gr Gehenna
  23. Matthew 10:29 A Roman copper coin, worth about 1/16 of a laborer’s daily wage
  24. Matthew 10:32 Lit will confess in Me
  25. Matthew 10:32 Lit in him
  26. Matthew 10:34 Lit cast
  27. Matthew 10:34 Lit cast
  28. Matthew 10:39 Or soul
  29. Matthew 10:39 Or soul
  30. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  31. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  32. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  33. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  34. Matthew 10:41 Or welcomes
  35. Matthew 10:41 Or welcomes
  36. Matthew 10:42 Possibly someone of low social standing

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(A)(B)(C)(D)(E)

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits(F) and to heal every disease and sickness.(G)

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.(H)

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.(I) Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.(J) As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven(K) has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts(L) 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.(M) 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.(N) 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.(O) 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah(P) on the day of judgment(Q) than for that town.(R)

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.(S) Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.(T) 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils(U) and be flogged in the synagogues.(V) 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings(W) as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.(X) At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father(Y) speaking through you.

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents(Z) and have them put to death.(AA) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me,(AB) but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(AC) 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.(AD)

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.(AE) 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul,(AF) how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.(AG) 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One(AH) who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[b] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.(AI) 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.(AJ)

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others,(AK) I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.(AL)

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law(AM)
36     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’[c](AN)

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.(AO) 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.(AP) 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.(AQ)

40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me,(AR) and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.(AS) 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  2. Matthew 10:29 Or will; or knowledge
  3. Matthew 10:36 Micah 7:6