New Testament in a Year

The Mission of the Seventy

10 After this, the Lord appointed 70^[a] other disciples^[b] and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go. ² So he instructed them, “The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest. ³ Get going! See, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Don’t carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don’t greet anyone on the way.

⁵ “Whatever house you go into, first say, ‘May there be peace in this house.’ ⁶ If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting of peace will remain with him. But if that’s not the case, your greeting^[c] will come back to you. ⁷ Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don’t move from house to house.

⁸ “Whenever you go into a town and the people^[d] welcome you, eat whatever they serve you, ⁹ heal the sick that are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you!’ ¹⁰ But whenever you go into a town and people^[e] don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘We’re wiping off your town’s dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!’ ¹² I tell you, on the last^[f] day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town!”

Jesus Denounces Unrepentant Cities^(A)

¹³ “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ It will be easier for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you!

¹⁵ And you, Capernaum! You won’t be lifted up to heaven, will you? You’ll go down to Hell!^{[g] 16} The person who listens to you listens to me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

The Return of the Seventy

¹⁷ The 70^[h] disciples^[i] came back and joyously reported, “Lord, even the demons are submitting to us in your name!”

¹⁸ He told them, “I watched Satan falling from heaven like lightning. ¹⁹ Look! I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to destroy^[j] all the enemy’s power, and nothing will ever hurt you. ²⁰ However, stop rejoicing because the spirits are submitting to you. Instead, rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Praises the Father^(B)

²¹ At that moment, the Holy Spirit^[k] made Jesus^[l] extremely joyful, so Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you. ²² All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows^[m] who the Father is except the Son and the person to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then turning to his disciples in private, he told them, “How blessed are the eyes that see what you see! ²⁴ Because I tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you see but didn’t see them, and to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.”