1Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness.2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.7As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”8Heal those who are ill, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[1] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.9‘Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts –10no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.11Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.12As you enter the home, give it your greeting.13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.15Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.16‘I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.17Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.21‘Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.22You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.24‘The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.25It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!26‘So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[2]30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.31So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.32‘Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.33But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.34‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.35For I have come to turn ‘ “a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law –36a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Mic 7:6)37‘Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.39Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.40‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.41Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.’
Matthew 10
English Standard Version
The Twelve Apostles
1And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. (Mr 3:13; Mr 6:7; Lu 6:13; Lu 9:1)2The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; (Mt 4:18; Mt 4:21; Mt 16:18; Mr 3:16; Lu 6:14; Joh 1:42; Ac 1:13)3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;[1] (Mt 9:9)4Simon the Zealot,[2] and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
5These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, (2Ki 17:24; Ezr 4:10; Mt 10:1; Lu 9:52; Lu 10:33; Lu 17:16; Joh 4:9; Joh 4:39; Joh 8:48; Ac 1:8; Ac 8:25)6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Ps 119:176; Isa 53:6; Jer 50:6; Mt 9:36; Mt 15:24; Mt 18:12; Ac 2:36; Ac 3:25; Ac 7:42; Ac 13:46; Heb 8:8; Heb 8:10)7And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’[3] (Mt 3:2; Mt 4:17; Lu 10:9)8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,[4] cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. (Isa 55:1; Mt 11:5; Ac 3:6; Ac 20:33; Ac 20:35)9Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, (Mr 6:8; Lu 9:3; Lu 10:4; Lu 22:35)10no bag for your journey, or two tunics[5] or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. (1Co 9:4; 1Co 9:7; 1Ti 5:18)11And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.12As you enter the house, greet it. (1Sa 25:6; 1Ch 12:18)13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. (Mt 8:8; Mt 10:12; Ac 16:15)14And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. (Ne 5:13; Ac 13:51; Ac 18:6)15Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. (Ge 18:20; Ge 19:28; Mt 11:24; 2Pe 2:6)
Persecution Will Come
16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Ge 3:1; Lu 10:3; Joh 17:18; Ro 16:19; 1Co 14:20; Php 2:15)17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, (Mt 23:34; Mr 13:9; Mr 13:11; Lu 12:11)18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. (Mt 8:4; Mt 10:17)19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. (Ex 4:12; Nu 23:5; De 18:18; Mt 6:25; Mt 10:17; Mr 13:11; Lu 21:12; 2Ti 4:16)20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Mt 10:40; Lu 12:12; Joh 15:26; Ac 4:8; Ac 6:10; Ac 13:9; 1Co 15:10; 2Co 13:3; 1Th 2:13; Heb 1:1)21Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, (Mt 10:35)22and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Da 12:12; Mt 24:9; Mt 24:13; Mr 13:13; Joh 15:18; Heb 3:6; Jas 5:11; Re 2:10)23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Mt 12:15; Mt 16:28; Mt 23:34; Ac 8:1; Ac 9:25; Ac 9:30; Ac 14:6; Ac 17:10; Ac 17:14)24“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant[6] above his master. (Lu 6:40; Joh 13:16; Joh 15:20; Heb 12:3)25It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign[7] those of his household. (Mt 9:34; Mt 12:24; Mr 3:22; Lu 11:15; Joh 7:20)
Have No Fear
26“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. (Mr 4:22; Lu 8:17; Lu 12:2; 1Ti 5:25)27What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. (Lu 5:19)28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[8] (Isa 8:12; Isa 51:12; Jer 1:8; Jas 4:12; 1Pe 3:14)29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[9] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. (1Sa 14:45)31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Mt 6:26; Mt 12:12)32So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, (Ro 10:9; Heb 10:35; Re 3:5)33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Mt 7:23; Mt 25:12; Mr 8:38; Lu 13:25; 2Ti 2:12; 2Pe 2:1; 1Jo 2:23)
Not Peace, but a Sword
34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Lu 12:51; Re 6:4)35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. (Mic 7:6; Mt 10:21; Mt 10:34)36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. (Ps 41:9; Ps 55:12; Mic 7:6; Joh 13:18)37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Lu 14:26)38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Mt 9:9; Mt 16:24; Mr 8:34; Lu 9:23; Lu 14:27; Joh 8:12; Joh 12:26; Joh 21:19)39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mt 16:25; Mr 8:35; Lu 9:24; Lu 17:33; Joh 12:25)
Rewards
40“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. (Mt 10:20; Mt 18:5; Mt 25:40; Mr 9:37; Lu 9:48; Lu 10:16; Joh 12:44; Joh 13:20; Ga 4:14)41The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. (1Ki 17:10; 1Ki 18:4; 2Ki 4:8; 3Jo 1:5)42And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Mt 18:10; Mt 25:35; Mt 25:40; Mr 9:41; Heb 6:10)