Matthew 10:1-23

Living Bible

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of sickness and disease.

^2-4 Here are the names of his twelve disciples: Simon (also called Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (Zebedee’s son), John (James’s brother), Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (Alphaeus’s son), Thaddaeus, Simon (a member of “The Zealots,” a subversive political party), Judas Iscariot (the one who betrayed him).

⁵ Jesus sent them out with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, ⁶ but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. ⁷ Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.^{[a] 8} Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lepers, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

⁹ “Don’t take any money with you; ¹⁰ don’t even carry a duffle bag with extra clothes and shoes, or even a walking stick; for those you help should feed and care for you. ¹¹ Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a godly man and stay in his home until you leave for the next town. ¹² When you ask permission to stay, be friendly, ¹³ and if it turns out to be a godly home, give it your blessing; if not, keep the blessing. ¹⁴ Any city or home that doesn’t welcome you—shake off the dust of that place from your feet as you leave. ¹⁵ Truly, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off at Judgment Day than they.

¹⁶ “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as serpents and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware! For you will be arrested and tried, and whipped in the synagogues. ¹⁸ Yes, and you must stand trial before governors and kings for my sake. This will give you the opportunity to tell them about me, yes, to witness to the world.

¹⁹ “When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say at your trial, for you will be given the right words at the right time. ²⁰ For it won’t be you doing the talking—it will be the Spirit of your heavenly Father speaking through you!

²¹ “Brother shall betray brother to death, and fathers shall betray their own children. And children shall rise against their parents and cause their deaths. ²² Everyone shall hate you because you belong to me. But all of you who endure to the end shall be saved.

²³ “When you are persecuted in one city, flee to the next! I^[b] will return before you have reached them all!