Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

5 We are made good people and put right with God when we believe in Jesus Christ. So now we have peace with God because of what our Lord Jesus Christ did.

² Because we believe, Christ has brought us to the place where God can do us good. We are in that place now. We are very happy because we have the hope that we shall see God's greatness.

³ And not only is that true, but we are very happy in our troubles, because we know that trouble makes us stronger.

⁴ When we are strong to take trouble, we prove that we believe. When we prove that we believe, we have hope.

⁵ We will not be disappointed by this hope. God has given us the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit has put God's love in our hearts.

⁶ We could not help ourselves. So at the right time, Christ died to save us bad people.

⁷ Almost no one would die to save even a good man. But perhaps someone would die to save a very good man.

⁸ God shows his love for us in this way: Christ died to save us while we were bad people.

³⁵ Jesus went around to all the cities and towns. He taught people in their meeting houses and told them the good news of the kingdom of heaven. He healed all the sick and weak people.

³⁶ He saw the many people and was sorry for them. They were troubled and they could not help themselves. They were like sheep with no one to care for them.

³⁷ Then Jesus said to his disciples, `The harvest is much. But there are not many people to gather it.

³⁸ Talk to the Lord of this harvest, and ask him to send out people to his harvest.'

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him. He gave them power over bad spirits so they could drive them out of people. He gave them power to heal people who were sick or weak in any way.

^2-4 he names of the twelve apostles are: Simon, whose other name was Peter, and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, James, the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose other name was Thaddaeus, Simon, the freedom fighter, and Judas Iscariot, the one who gave Jesus over to people who hated him.

⁵ Jesus sent out these twelve. He said to them, `Do not go to the people who are not Jews. Do not go to any town of the Samaritan people.

⁶ But go to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep.

⁷ As you go, tell people that the kingdom of heaven is here.

⁸ Heal sick people. Bring dead people to life. Heal people who have leprosy. Drive bad spirits out of people You got it free, so give it free to others

⁹ Do not take gold, silver, or brass money with you.

¹⁰ Do not take a bag with you, and do not take two shirts, shoes, or a walking stick. The one who does the work should be given his food.

¹¹ When you come to any city or town, ask who there is able to have you. Then live there until you leave the town.

¹² When you go into the house, greet the family with a blessing.

¹³ If the family is all right, let your blessing stay on it. If it is not all right, take your blessing away.

¹⁴ In some places people will not take you in, or listen to what you say. So when you leave that house or town, shake the dust off your feet.

¹⁵ I tell you the truth. On the day when people are judged, the people from that city will be punished harder than the people from the country of Sodom and Gomorrah.'

¹⁶ `I am sending you out amongst people. You will be like sheep amongst bad animals like wolves. So be wise like snakes, and harmless like doves.

¹⁷ But take care. Men will take you to their courts. They will beat you in their meeting houses.

¹⁸ They will bring you to rulers and kings for my sake. Then you will talk about me to them and to those who are not Jews.

¹⁹ When men take you to court, do not be troubled about what you will say. What you are to say will come to your mind at the right time.

²⁰ It is not you who speak. But it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking through you.

²¹ A brother will take his brother to be killed. A father will take his child. The children will talk against their father and mother, and have them killed.

²² Everyone will hate you because you are true to me. But the person who keeps on being true to me until the end, will be saved.

²³ When they trouble you in one town, go to another. I tell you the truth. You will not go to all the towns in Israel before the Son of Man comes.