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Matthew 10
New American Standard Bible

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.

2 (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; 3 (G)Philip and [c]Bartholomew; (H)Thomas and (I)Matthew the tax collector; [d](J)James the son of Alphaeus, and (K)Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the [e]Zealot, and (L)Judas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed Him.

5 (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; 6 but rather go to (O)the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, [g]preach, saying, ‘(P)The kingdom of heaven [h]has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 (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 person’s 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
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Matthew 10
Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Sends His Apostles on a Mission(A)

10 Jesus called his twelve followers together. He gave them power over evil spirits and power to heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:

Simon (also called Peter),

Andrew, the brother of Peter,

James, the son of Zebedee,

John, the brother of James,

3 Philip,

Bartholomew,

Thomas,

Matthew, the tax collector,

James, the son of Alphaeus,

Thaddaeus,

4 Simon, the Zealot,

Judas Iscariot (the one who handed Jesus over to his enemies).

5 Jesus sent the twelve men out with these instructions: “Don’t go to the non-Jewish people. And don’t go into any town where the Samaritans live. 6 But go to the people of Israel. They are like sheep that are lost. 7 When you go, tell them this: ‘God’s kingdom is now very near.[a]’ 8 Heal the sick. Bring the dead back to life. Heal the people who have leprosy. And force demons out of people. I give you these powers freely, so help others freely. 9 Don’t carry any money with you—gold or silver or copper. 10 Don’t carry a bag. Take only the clothes and sandals you are wearing. And don’t take a walking stick. A worker should be given what he needs.

11 “When you enter a city or town, find some worthy person there and stay in his home until you leave. 12 When you enter that home, say, ‘Peace be with you.’ 13 If the people in that home welcome you, they are worthy of your peace. May they have the peace you wished for them. But if they don’t welcome you, they are not worthy of your peace. Take back the peace you wished for them. 14 And if the people in a home or a town refuse to welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet.[b] 15 I can assure you that on the judgment day it will be worse for that town than for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jesus Warns About Troubles(B)

16 “Listen! I am sending you, and you will be like sheep among wolves. So be smart like snakes. But also be like doves and don’t hurt anyone. 17 Be careful! There are people who will arrest you and take you to be judged. They will whip you in their synagogues. 18 You will be taken to stand before governors and kings. People will do this to you because you follow me. You will tell about me to those kings and governors and to the non-Jewish people. 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say or how you should say it. At that time you will be given the words to say. 20 It will not really be you speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.

21 “Brothers will turn against their own brothers and hand them over to be killed. Fathers will hand over their own children to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and will have them killed. 22 Everyone will hate you because you follow me. But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. 23 When you are treated badly in one city, go to another city. I promise you that you will not finish going to all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes again.

24 “Students are not better than their teacher. Servants are not better than their master. 25 Students should be happy to be treated the same as their teacher. And servants should be happy to be treated the same as their master. If those people call me ‘the ruler of demons,’ and I am the head of the family,[c] then it is even more certain that they will insult you, the members of the family!

Fear God, Not People(C)

26 “So don’t be afraid of those people. Everything that is hidden will be shown. Everything that is secret will be made known. 27 I tell you all this secretly,[d] but I want you to tell it publicly.[e] Whatever I tell you privately,[f] you should shout for everyone to hear.[g]

28 “Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and the soul to be destroyed in hell. 29 When birds are sold, two small birds cost only a penny. But not even one of those little birds can die without your Father knowing it. 30 God even knows how many hairs are on your head. 31 So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than a whole flock of birds.

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Faith(D)

32 “If you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you belong to me. 33 But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you do not belong to me.

Following Jesus May Bring You Trouble(E)

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace. I came to bring trouble.[h] 35 I have come to make this happen:

‘A son will turn against his father.
    A daughter will turn against her mother.
A daughter-in-law will turn against her mother-in-law.
36     Even members of your own family will be your enemies.’ (F)

37 “Those who love their father or mother more than they love me are not worthy of me. And those who love their son or daughter more than they love me are not worthy of me. 38 Those who will not accept the cross that is given to them when they follow me are not worthy of me. 39 Those who try to keep the life they have will lose it. But those who give up their life for me will find true life.

God Will Bless Those Who Welcome You(G)

40 “Whoever accepts you also accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me. 41 Whoever accepts a prophet because he is a prophet will get the same reward a prophet gets. And whoever accepts a godly person just because that person is godly will get the same reward a godly person gets. 42 Whoever helps any of these little ones because they are my followers will definitely get a reward, even if they only give them a cup of cold water.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:7 is now very near Or “is coming soon” or “has come.”
  2. Matthew 10:14 shake the dust off your feet A warning. It would show that they were finished talking to these people.
  3. Matthew 10:25 call me … family Literally, “call the head of the household Beelzebul.” See verse 9:34.
  4. Matthew 10:27 secretly Literally, “in the dark.”
  5. Matthew 10:27 publicly Literally, “in the light.”
  6. Matthew 10:27 privately Literally, “in the ear.”
  7. Matthew 10:27 for everyone to hear Literally, “on the housetops.”
  8. Matthew 10:34 trouble Literally, “a sword.”
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