Matthew 4:12-10:42

New American Standard Bible

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹² Now when Jesus heard that ^(A)John had been taken into custody, ^(B)He withdrew into Galilee; ¹³ and leaving Nazareth, He came and ^(C)settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

^17 (F)From that time Jesus began to ^[c]preach and say, “^(G)Repent, for the kingdom of heaven ^[d]is at hand.”

The First Disciples

^18 (H)Now as Jesus was walking by ^(I)the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, ^(J)Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And He *said to them, “^[e]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. ²¹ Going on from there He saw two other brothers, ^[f](K)James the son of Zebedee, and his brother ^[g]John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Ministry in Galilee

²³ Jesus was going ^(L)about in all of Galilee, ^(M)teaching in their synagogues and ^(N)proclaiming the ^[h]gospel of the kingdom, and ^(O)healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

²⁴ And the news about Him spread ^(P)throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, ^(Q)demon-possessed, people with ^(R)epilepsy, and people who were ^(S)paralyzed; and He healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds ^(T)followed Him from Galilee and ^(U)the Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from ^(V)beyond the Jordan.

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

5 ^(W)Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on ^(X)the ^[i]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² And ^(Y)He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “^[j](Z)Blessed are the poor in spirit, for ^(AA)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are ^(AB)those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are ^(AC)the ^[k]gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are ^(AD)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are ^(AE)the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are ^(AF)the pure in heart, for ^(AG)they will see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for ^(AH)they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been ^(AI)persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for ^(AJ)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people ^(AK)insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for ^(AL)in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Disciples and the World

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but ^(AM)if the salt has become tasteless, how ^[l]can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.

¹⁴ “You are ^(AN)the light of the world. A city set on a ^[m]hill cannot be hidden; ^15 (AO)nor do people light a lamp and put it under a ^[n]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may ^(AP)see your good works, and ^(AQ)glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not presume that I came to abolish the ^(AR)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, ^(AS)until heaven and earth pass away, not ^[o]the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches ^[p]others to do the same, shall be called least ^(AT)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever ^[q]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ “For I say to you that unless your ^(AU)righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Personal Relationships

²¹ “^(AV)You have heard that ^[r]the ancients were told, ‘^(AW)You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to ^(AX)the court.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to ^(AY)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘^[s]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to ^[t](AZ)the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the ^[u](BA)fiery hell. ²³ Therefore, if you are ^(BB)presenting your ^[v]offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your ^[w]offering there before the altar and go; first be ^(BC)reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your ^[x]offering. ^25 (BD)[y]Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, ^(BE)you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last ^[z]quadrans.

²⁷ “^(BF)You have heard that it was said, ‘^(BG)You shall not commit adultery’; ²⁸ but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman ^(BH)with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ Now ^(BI)if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, ^[aa]than for your whole body to be thrown into ^[ab](BJ)hell. ³⁰ And ^(BK)if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you ^[ac]to lose one of the parts of your body, ^[ad]than for your whole body to go into ^[ae](BL)hell.

³¹ “Now it was said, ‘^(BM)Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’; ^32 (BN)but I say to you that everyone who ^[af]divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a ^[ag]divorced woman commits adultery.

³³ “Again, ^(BO)you have heard that ^[ah]the ancients were told, ‘^[ai](BP)You shall not ^[aj]make false vows, but shall fulfill your ^[ak]vows to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, ^(BQ)take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is ^(BR)the throne of God, ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is the ^(BS)footstool of His feet, nor ^[al]by Jerusalem, for it is ^(BT)the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ But make sure your statement is, ‘^[am]Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is ^[an]of ^(BU)evil origin.

³⁸ “^(BV)You have heard that it was said, ‘^(BW)Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but ^(BX)whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your ^[ao]tunic, let him have your ^[ap]cloak also. ⁴¹ Whoever ^[aq]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ^42 (BY)Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “^(BZ)You have heard that it was said, ‘^(CA)You shall love your neighbor ^(CB)and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, ^(CC)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may prove yourselves to be ^(CD)sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For ^(CE)if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? ⁴⁸ Therefore ^(CF)you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Charitable Giving to the Poor and Prayer

6 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, ^(CG)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

² “So when you ^[ar]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they ^(CH)will be praised by people. ^(CI)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ³ But when you ^[as]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and ^(CJ)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

⁵ “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to ^(CK)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners ^(CL)so that they ^[at]will be seen by people. ^(CM)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ⁶ But as for you, when you pray, ^(CN)go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and ^(CO)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their ^(CP)many words. ⁸ So do not be like them; for ^(CQ)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

The Lord’s Prayer

⁹ “^(CR)Pray, then, in this way:

^14 (CY)For if you forgive other people for their ^[ba]offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But ^(CZ)if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your ^[bb]offenses.

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth

¹⁶ “Now ^(DA)whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they ^[bc]distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. ^(DB)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ¹⁷ But as for you, when you fast, ^[bd](DC)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your ^(DD)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

¹⁹ “^(DE)Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves ^(DF)treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for ^(DG)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “^(DH)The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is ^[be]clear, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if ^(DI)your eye is ^[bf]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “^(DJ)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and ^[bg](DK)wealth.

The Cure for Anxiety

²⁵ “^(DL)For this reason I say to you, ^[bh]do not be ^(DM)worried about your ^[bi]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? ^26 (DN)Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? ²⁷ And which of you by ^(DO)worrying can ^(DP)add a single ^[bj]day to his ^[bk]life’s span? ²⁸ And why are you ^(DQ)worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even ^(DR)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the ^(DS)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? ^(DT)You of little faith! ³¹ Do not ^(DU)worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for ^(DV)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But ^[bl]seek first ^[bm]His kingdom and His righteousness, and ^(DW)all these things will be ^[bn]provided to you.

³⁴ “So do not ^(DX)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will ^[bo]worry about itself. ^[bp]Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Judging Others

7 “^(DY)Do not ^[bq]judge, so that you will not be judged. ² For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and ^[br](DZ)by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you ^(EA)look at the ^[bs]speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ^4 (EB)Or how ^[bt]can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the ^[bu]speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the ^[bv]speck out of your brother’s eye!

⁶ “^(EC)Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Prayer and the Golden Rule

⁷ “^[bw](ED)Ask, and ^(EE)it will be given to you; ^[bx]seek, and you will find; ^[by]knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or what person is there among you ^[bz]who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, ^[ca]will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or ^[cb]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ So if you, despite being ^[cc]evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, ^(EF)how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

¹² “In everything, ^(EG)therefore, ^[cd]treat people the same way you want ^[ce]them to treat you, for ^(EH)this is the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³ “^(EI)Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of the ^(EJ)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ^(EK)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will ^[cf](EL)know them by their fruits. ^[cg]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So ^(EM)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (EN)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will ^[ch]know them ^(EO)by their fruits.

²¹ “^(EP)Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ^22 (EQ)Many will say to Me on ^(ER)that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many ^[ci]miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; ^(ES)leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

The Two Foundations

²⁴ “Therefore, ^(ET)everyone who hears these words of Mine, and ^[cj]acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell and the ^[ck]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not ^[cl]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell and the ^[cm]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

^28 [cn](EU)When Jesus had finished these words, ^(EV)the crowds were amazed at His teaching; ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy

8 When ^[co]Jesus came down from the mountain, ^[cp]large crowds followed Him. ² And ^(EW)a man with ^[cq]leprosy came to Him and ^[cr](EX)bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” ^3 [cs]Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his ^(EY)leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus *said to him, “^(EZ)See that you tell no one; but ^(FA)go, ^(FB)show yourself to the priest and present the ^[ct]offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

The Centurion’s Faith

⁵ And ^(FC)when ^[cu]Jesus entered Capernaum, a ^[cv]centurion came to Him, begging Him, ⁶ and saying, “^[cw]Lord, my ^[cx]servant is lying ^(FD)paralyzed at home, terribly tormented.” ⁷ Jesus *said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ But the centurion replied, “^[cy]Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just ^[cz]say the word, and my ^[da]servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man under ^(FE)authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith ^[db]with anyone in Israel. ¹¹ And I say to you that many ^(FF)will come from east and west, and ^[dc]recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; ¹² but ^(FG)the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into ^(FH)the outer darkness; in that place ^(FI)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³ And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; ^[dd]it shall be done for you ^(FJ)as you have believed.” And the ^[de]servant was healed at that very ^[df]moment.

Peter’s Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed

^14 (FK)When Jesus came into Peter’s ^[dg]home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. ¹⁵ And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and ^[dh]waited on Him. ¹⁶ Now when evening came, they brought to Him many ^(FL)who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and ^(FM)healed all who were ill. ¹⁷ This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: “^(FN)He Himself took our illnesses and ^[di]carried away our diseases.”

Discipleship Tested

¹⁸ Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, ^(FO)He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. ^19 (FP)Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” ²⁰ And Jesus *said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but ^(FQ)the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” ²¹ And another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” ²² But Jesus *said to him, “^(FR)Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

^23 (FS)When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ And behold, a ^[dj]violent storm developed on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. ²⁵ And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “^(FT)Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” ²⁶ He *said to them, “Why are you ^[dk]afraid, ^(FU)you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and ^[dl]it became perfectly calm. ²⁷ The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus Sends Demons into Pigs

^28 (FV)And when He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two ^(FW)demon-possessed men confronted Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. ²⁹ And they cried out, saying, “^[dm](FX)What business do You have with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before ^[dn]the time?” ³⁰ Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding at a distance from them. ³¹ And the demons begged Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” ³² And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and ^[do]drowned in the waters. ³³ And the herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, ^[dp]including what had happened to the ^(FY)demon-possessed men. ³⁴ And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, ^(FZ)they pleaded with Him to leave their region.

A Paralyzed Man Healed

9 Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to ^(GA)His own city.

^2 (GB)And they brought to Him a ^(GC)paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “^(GD)Take courage, ^[dq]son; ^(GE)your sins are forgiven.” ³ And some of the scribes said ^[dr]to themselves, “This man is ^(GF)blaspheming!” ⁴ And Jesus, ^(GG)perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘^(GH)Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But so that you may know that ^(GI)the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the ^(GJ)paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.” ⁷ And he got up and ^[ds]went home. ⁸ But when the crowds saw this, they were ^[dt]awestruck, and they ^(GK)glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Matthew Called

^9 (GL)As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called ^(GM)Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; and He *said to him, “^(GN)Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

¹⁰ Then it happened that as ^[du]Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and ^[dv]sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “^(GO)Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not ^(GP)those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Now go and learn ^[dw](GQ)what this means: ‘^(GR)I desire ^[dx]compassion, ^[dy]rather than sacrifice,’ for ^(GS)I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Question about Fasting

¹⁴ Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and ^(GT)the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, “The ^[dz]attendants of the groom cannot mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶ But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for ^[ea]the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. ¹⁷ Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Miracles of Healing

^18 (GU)While He was saying these things to them, behold, ^[eb]a synagogue ^[ec]official came and ^[ed](GV)bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will become alive again.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up from the table and began to accompany him, along with His disciples.

²⁰ And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him, and touched ^(GW)the ^[ee]border of His ^[ef]cloak; ²¹ for she was ^[eg]saying ^[eh]to herself, “If I only ^(GX)touch His cloak, I will ^[ei]get well.” ²² But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, “Daughter, ^(GY)take courage; ^(GZ)your faith has ^[ej]made you well.” And ^[ek]at once the woman was ^[el]made well.

²³ When Jesus came into the ^[em]official’s house and saw ^(HA)the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder, ²⁴ He said, “Leave; for the girl ^(HB)has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. ²⁵ But ^(HC)when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and ^(HD)took her by the hand, and the girl ^[en]got up. ²⁶ And ^(HE)this news spread throughout that land.

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two men who were blind followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, ^(HF)Son of David!” ²⁸ And after He entered the house, the men who were blind came up to Him, and Jesus *said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They *said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” ²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “^[eo]It shall be done for you ^(HG)according to your faith.” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus ^(HH)sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows about this!” ³¹ But they went out and ^(HI)spread the news about Him throughout that land.

³² And as they were going out, behold, ^(HJ)a ^(HK)demon-possessed man who was unable to speak ^[ep]was brought to Him. ³³ And after the demon was cast out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “^(HL)Nothing like this has ever ^[eq]been seen in Israel.” ³⁴ But the Pharisees were saying, “He ^(HM)casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

³⁵ Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, ^(HN)teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.

^36 (HO)Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, ^(HP)because they were ^[er]distressed and downcast, like sheep ^[es]without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then He *said to His disciples, “^(HQ)The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸ Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service

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

^2 (HT)Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, ^(HU)Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother ^(HV)Andrew; and ^[et](HW)James the son of Zebedee, and his brother ^[eu]John; ^3 (HX)Philip and ^[ev]Bartholomew; ^(HY)Thomas and ^(HZ)Matthew the tax collector; ^[ew](IA)James the son of Alphaeus, and ^(IB)Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the ^[ex]Zealot, and ^(IC)Judas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed Him.

^5 (ID)These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road ^[ey]to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of ^(IE)Samaritans; ⁶ but rather go to ^(IF)the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as you go, ^[ez]preach, saying, ‘^(IG)The kingdom of heaven ^[fa]has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. ^9 (IH)Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, ¹⁰ or a ^[fb]bag for your journey, or even two ^[fc]tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for ^(II)the worker is deserving of his ^[fd]support. ¹¹ And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay ^[fe]at his house until you leave that city. ¹² As you enter the ^[ff]house, ^(IJ)give it your ^[fg]greeting. ¹³ If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, ^[fh]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, ^(IK)shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, ^(IL)it will be more tolerable for the land of ^(IM)Sodom and Gomorrah on ^(IN)the day of judgment, than for that city.

A Hard Road Ahead of Them

¹⁶ “^(IO)Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as ^(IP)wary as serpents, and as ^(IQ)innocent as doves. ¹⁷ But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the ^(IR)courts and flog you ^(IS)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 (IT)But when they hand you over, ^(IU)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 ^(IV)it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking ^[fi]in you.

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

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

The Meaning of Discipleship

²⁴ “^(JC)A ^[fm]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. ^(JD)If they have called the head of the house ^[fn](JE)Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!

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

³² “Therefore, ^(JO)everyone who ^[fq]confesses Me before people, I will also confess ^[fr]him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But ^(JP)whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

³⁴ “^(JQ)Do not think that I came to ^[fs]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to ^[ft]bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to ^(JR)turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; ³⁶ and ^(JS)a person’s enemies will be the members of his household.

³⁷ “^(JT)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 ^(JU)the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ^39 (JV)The one who has found his ^[fu]life will lose it, and the one who has lost his ^[fv]life on My account will find it.

The Reward for Service

⁴⁰ “^(JW)The one who ^[fw]receives you ^[fx]receives Me, and ^(JX)the one who ^[fy]receives Me ^[fz]receives Him who sent Me. ^41 (JY)The one who ^[ga]receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who ^[gb]receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And ^(JZ)whoever gives one of these ^[gc]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.”