Jesus ^asummoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to ^bheal every disease and every sickness.

2 ^aNow the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, ^bSimon, who is called Peter, and his brother ^cAndrew; and ^1dJames the son of Zebedee, and his brother ²John; 3 ^aPhilip and ¹Bartholomew; ^bThomas and ^cMatthew the tax collector; ^2dJames the son of Alphaeus, and ^eThaddaeus; 4 Simon the ¹Zealot, and ^aJudas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed Him.

5 ^aThese twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road ¹to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of ^bSamaritans; 6 but rather go to ^athe lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, ¹preach, saying, ‘^aThe kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 ^aDo not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a ¹bag for your journey, or even two ²tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for ^athe worker is deserving of his ³support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay ¹at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the ¹house, ^agive it your ²greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, ¹take back your blessing of peace. 14 And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, ^ashake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, ^ait will be more tolerable for the land of ^bSodom and Gomorrah on ^cthe day of judgment, than for that city.

16 “^aBehold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as ^bwary as serpents, and as ^cinnocent as doves. 17 But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the ^acourts and flog you ^bin 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 ^aBut when they hand you over, ^bdo 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 ^ait is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking ¹in you.

21 “Now ^abrother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and ^bchildren will rise up against parents and ¹cause them to be put to death. 22 And ^ayou will be hated by all because of My name, but ^bit is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

23 “But whenever they ^apersecute you in ¹one city, flee to the ²next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel ^buntil the Son of Man comes.

24 “^aA ¹disciple 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. ^aIf they have called the head of the house ^1bBeelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!

26 “So do not ^afear them, ^bfor there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 ^aWhat I tell you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim ^bon the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather ^afear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^1bhell. 29 ^aAre two sparrows not sold for an ¹assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But ^aeven the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not fear; ^ayou are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

32 “Therefore, ^aeveryone who ¹confesses Me before people, I will also confess ²him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But ^awhoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

34 “^aDo not think that I came to ¹bring peace on the earth; I did not come to ²bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to ^aTURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and ^aA PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

37 “^aThe 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 ^athe one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 ^aThe one who has found his ¹life will lose it, and the one who has lost his ²life on My account will find it.

40 “^aThe one who ¹receives you ²receives Me, and ^bthe one who ³receives Me ⁴receives Him who sent Me. 41 ^aThe one who ¹receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who ²receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And ^awhoever gives one of these ¹little 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.”

Jesus ^asummoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority and power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to ^bheal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1

2 ^aNow these are the names of the twelve ¹apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives) : first, ^bSimon, who is called Peter, and ^cAndrew, his brother; ^2dJames the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:13-16 3 ^aPhilip and Bartholomew (Nathanael) ; ^bThomas and ^cMatthew (Levi) the tax collector; ^1dJames the son of ²Alphaeus, and ^eThaddaeus (Judas, not Iscariot) ; 4 Simon the Cananaean (Zealot) , and ^aJudas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

5 Jesus sent out ^athese twelve, instructing them: “Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not go into a city of the ^bSamaritans; 6 but rather go to ^athe lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘^aThe kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 ^aDo not take gold, or silver, or even copper money in your money belt, 10 or a provision bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for ^athe worker deserves his support. 11 Whatever city or village you enter, ask who in it is worthy who welcomes you and your message, and stay at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you go into the house, ^agive it your greeting that is, ‘Peace be to this house’. 13 If the family living in the house is worthy welcoming you and your message, give it your blessing of ¹peace that is, a blessing of well-being and prosperity, the favor of God. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, ^1ashake the dust of it off your feet in contempt, breaking all ties. Mark 6:11; Acts 13:51 15 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^ait will be more tolerable on ^bthe day of judgment for the land of ^1cSodom and Gomorrah than for that city since it rejected the Messiah’s messenger.

16 “^aListen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be ^bwise as serpents, and ^cinnocent as doves have no self-serving agenda. Gen 3:1 17 Beware of men whose nature is to act in opposition to God, for they will hand you over to the ^acourts and flog you ^bin their synagogues; 18 and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 ^aBut when they hand you over, ^bdo not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you within that very hour; Mark 13:11-13; Luke 21:12-19 20 for ^ait is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 “^aBrother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and ^bchildren will rise up and rebel against their parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ^ayou will be hated by everyone because of your association with My name, but it is ^bthe one who has patiently persevered and endured to the end who will be saved.

23 “When they ^apersecute you in one city because of your faith in Me, flee to the next; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will not finish going through all the cities of Israel ^bbefore the Son of Man comes.

24 “^aA disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a bond-servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the bond-servant like his master. ^aIf they have called the head of the house ^1bBeelzebul (Satan) , how much more will they speak evil of the members of his household. 2+@Kin 1:2

26 “So do not be ^aafraid of them, ^bfor nothing is hidden that will not be revealed at the judgment, or kept secret that will not be made known at the judgment. Mark 4:22; Luke 12:2-9 27 ^aWhat I say to you in the dark (privately) , tell in the light (publicly) ; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim ^bfrom the housetops to many people. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather ^abe afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in ^bhell. 29 ^aAre not two little sparrows sold for a ¹copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But even ^athe very hairs of your head are all numbered for the Father is sovereign and has complete knowledge. 31 So do not fear; ^ayou are more valuable than many sparrows.

32 “Therefore, ^athe one who ¹confesses and acknowledges Me before men as Lord and Savior, affirming a state of oneness with Me, that one I will also confess and acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But ^athe one who denies and rejects Me before men, that one I will also deny and reject before My Father who is in heaven.

34 “^aDo not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword of division between belief and unbelief. Luke 12:51-53 35 For I have come to ^aSET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and ^aA MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS own HOUSEHOLD when one believes and another does not. Mic 7:6

37 “^1aHe who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Luke 14:26 38 And ^ahe who does not take his ¹cross expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come and follow Me believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me is not worthy of Me. 39 ^aWhoever finds his life in this world will eventually lose it through death, and whoever loses his life in this world for My sake will find it that is, life with Me for all eternity. Matt 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25

40 “^aHe who receives and welcomes you receives Me, and ^bhe who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. Mark 9:37; Luke 10:16; John 13:20 41 ^aHe who receives and welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous (honorable) man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And ^awhoever gives to one of these little ones these who are humble in rank or influence even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”

Jesus ^asummoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to ^bheal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

2 ^aNow the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, ^bSimon, who is called Peter, and ^cAndrew his brother; and ^1dJames the son of Zebedee, and ²John his brother; 3 ^aPhilip and ¹Bartholomew; ^bThomas and ^cMatthew the tax collector; ^2dJames the son of Alphaeus, and ^eThaddaeus; 4 Simon the ¹Zealot, and ^aJudas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

5 ^aThese twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not ¹go ²in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the ^bSamaritans; 6 but rather go to ^athe lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, ¹preach, saying, ‘^aThe kingdom of heaven ²is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 ^aDo not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a ¹bag for your journey, or even two ²coats, or sandals, or a staff; for ^athe worker is worthy of his ³support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay ¹at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the ¹house, ^agive it your ²greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, ¹give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, ²take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, ^ashake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, ^ait will be more tolerable for the land of ^bSodom and Gomorrah in ^cthe day of judgment than for that city.

16 “^aBehold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so ¹be ^bshrewd as serpents and ^cinnocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the ^acourts and scourge you ^bin their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 ^aBut when they hand you over, ^bdo not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For ^ait is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

21 “^aBrother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and ^bchildren will rise up against parents and ¹cause them to be put to death. 22 ^aYou will be hated by all because of My name, but ^bit is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

23 “But whenever they ^apersecute you in ¹one city, flee to ²the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel ^buntil the Son of Man comes.

24 “^aA ¹disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. ^aIf they have called the head of the house ^1bBeelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

26 “Therefore do not ^afear them, ^bfor there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 ^aWhat I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim ^bupon the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather ^afear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^1bhell. 29 ^aAre not two sparrows sold for a ¹cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But ^athe very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; ^ayou are more valuable than many sparrows.

32 “Therefore ^aeveryone who ¹confesses Me before men, I will also confess ²him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But ^awhoever ¹denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

34 “^aDo not think that I came to ¹bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to ^aSET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and ^aA MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

37 “^aHe who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And ^ahe who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 ^aHe who has found his ¹life will lose it, and he who has lost his ²life for My sake will find it.

40 “^aHe who receives you receives Me, and ^bhe who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 ^aHe who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And ^awhoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these ¹little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”