Matthew 10
Young's Literal Translation
10 And having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave to them power over unclean spirits, so as to be casting them out, and to be healing every sickness, and every malady.
2 And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was surnamed Thaddeus;
4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up.
5 These twelve did Jesus send forth, having given command to them, saying, `To the way of the nations go not away, and into a city of the Samaritans go not in,
6 and be going rather unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 `And, going on, proclaim saying that, the reign of the heavens hath come nigh;
8 infirm ones be healing, lepers be cleansing, dead be raising, demons be casting out -- freely ye did receive, freely give.
9 `Provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your girdles,
10 nor scrip for the way, nor two coats, nor sandals, nor staff -- for the workman is worthy of his nourishment.
11 `And into whatever city or village ye may enter, inquire ye who in it is worthy, and there abide, till ye may go forth.
12 And coming to the house salute it,
13 and if indeed the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; and if it be not worthy, let your peace turn back to you.
14 `And whoever may not receive you nor hear your words, coming forth from that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet,
15 verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
16 `Lo, I do send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye therefore wise as the serpents, and simple as the doves.
17 And, take ye heed of men, for they will give you up to sanhedrims, and in their synagogues they will scourge you,
18 and before governors and kings ye shall be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.
19 `And whenever they may deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye may speak, for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak;
20 for ye are not the speakers, but the Spirit of your Father that is speaking in you.
21 `And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death,
22 and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end, he shall be saved.
23 `And whenever they may persecute you in this city, flee to the other, for verily I say to you, ye may not have completed the cities of Israel till the Son of Man may come.
24 `A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his lord;
25 sufficient to the disciple that he may be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord; if the master of the house they did call Beelzeboul, how much more those of his household?
26 `Ye may not, therefore, fear them, for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed, and hid, that shall not be known;
27 that which I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and that which you hear at the ear, proclaim on the house-tops.
28 `And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.
29 `Are not two sparrows sold for an assar? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father;
30 and of you -- even the hairs of the head are all numbered;
31 be not therefore afraid, than many sparrows ye are better.
32 `Every one, therefore, who shall confess in me before men, I also will confess in him before my Father who is in the heavens;
33 and whoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in the heavens.
34 `Ye may not suppose that I came to put peace on the earth; I did not come to put peace, but a sword;
35 for I came to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
36 and the enemies of a man are those of his household.
37 `He who is loving father or mother above me, is not worthy of me, and he who is loving son or daughter above me, is not worthy of me,
38 and whoever doth not receive his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.
39 `He who found his life shall lose it, and he who lost his life for my sake shall find it.
40 `He who is receiving you doth receive me, and he who is receiving me doth receive Him who sent me,
41 he who is receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who is receiving a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward,
42 and whoever may give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say to you, he may not lose his reward.'
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
- Matthew 10:7 is now very near Or “is coming soon” or “has come.”
- Matthew 10:14 shake the dust off your feet A warning. It would show that they were finished talking to these people.
- Matthew 10:25 call me … family Literally, “call the head of the household Beelzebul.” See verse 9:34.
- Matthew 10:27 secretly Literally, “in the dark.”
- Matthew 10:27 publicly Literally, “in the light.”
- Matthew 10:27 privately Literally, “in the ear.”
- Matthew 10:27 for everyone to hear Literally, “on the housetops.”
- Matthew 10:34 trouble Literally, “a sword.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International