Matthew 10:5–23

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.