Matthew 10

Commissioning the Twelve

10Summoning His 12 disciples, ^wHe gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every ^xdisease and sickness. ^y2These are the names of the 12 apostles: ^z

First, Simon, who is called Peter,

and Andrew his brother;

James the son of Zebedee,

and John his brother;

³Philip and Bartholomew; ^a

Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;

James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ^b

⁴Simon the Zealot, ^cand Judas Iscariot, ^d

who also betrayed Him. ^e

⁵Jesus sent out these 12 after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road leading to other nations, and don’t enter any ^•Samaritan ^ftown. ⁶Instead, go to the lost sheep ^gof the house of Israel. ^h7As you go, announce this: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁱ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. ^jYou have received free of charge; give free of charge. ⁹Don’t take along gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts. ^k10Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a walking stick, for the worker ^lis worthy of his food.

¹¹“When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹²Greet a household when you enter it, ^m13and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it. But if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you. ⁿ¹⁴If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet ^owhen you leave that house or town. ^15•I assure you: It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment ^pfor the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. ^q

Persecutions Predicted

¹⁶“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. ^r17Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins ^sand flog you in their ^•synagogues, ^tbeware of them. ¹⁸You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations. ^u19But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. ^vFor you will be given what to say at that hour, ²⁰because you are not speaking, but the Spirit ^wof your Father is speaking through you. ^x

²¹“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will even rise up against their parents and have them put to death. ^y22You will be hated by everyone because of My name. ^zBut the one who endures to the end will be delivered. ^ab23When they persecute you in one town, escape to another. ^cFor I assure you: You will not have covered the towns of Israel before the ^•Son of Man comes. ²⁴A disciple ^dis not above his teacher, or a ^•slave above his master. ^e25It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘^•Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household! ^f

Fear God

²⁶“Therefore, ^gdon’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known. ^h27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper, ⁱproclaim on the housetops. ^j28Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; ^krather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^•hell. ^l29Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? ^mYet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s ⁿconsent. ^o30But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. ^p31So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows. ^q

Acknowledging Christ

³²“Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. ^r33But whoever denies Me before men, ^sI will also deny him before My Father in heaven. ³⁴Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ^t35For I came to turn

a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

³⁶and a man’s enemies will be

the members of his household. ^uv

³⁷The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; ^wthe person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow ^xMe is not worthy of Me. ³⁹Anyone finding ^yhis life will lose it, ^zand anyone losing ^ahis life because of Me will find it. ^b

A Cup of Cold Water

⁴⁰“The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, ^cand the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me. ^d41Anyone who ^ewelcomes a prophet ^fbecause he is a prophet ^gwill receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who ^hwelcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous ⁱwill receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴²And whoever gives ^jjust a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple ^kl—I assure you: He will never lose his reward!”