COMMISSIONING THE TWELVE

9 Summoning the Twelve,w he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.x 2 Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.y

3 “Take nothing for the road,”z he told them, “no staff,aa no traveling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. 5 If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”ab 6 So they went out and traveled from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.

HEROD’S DESIRE TO SEE JESUS

7 Herod the tetrarchac heard about everything that was going on.ad He was perplexed, because some said that John had been raised from the dead, 8 some that Elijah had appeared,ae and others that one of the ancient prophets had risen.af 9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this I hear such things about?” And he wanted to see him.ag

FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

10 When the apostles returned,ah they reported to Jesus all that they had done.ai He took them along and withdrew privately to aG town called Bethsaida.aj 11 When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them,ak spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

12 Late in the day,al the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away,am so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”

13 “You give them something to eat,” he told them.

“We have no more than five loavesan and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (For about five thousand men were there.)

Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit downH in groups of about fifty each.” 15 They did what he said, and had them all sit down. 16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,ao he blessed and broke them.ap He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH

18 While he was praying in privateaq and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.”A,a

20 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”b

HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED

21 But he strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one,c 22 saying,d “It is necessary that the Son of Mane suffer many thingsf and be rejectedg by the elders, chief priests, and scribes,h be killed, and be raised the third day.”i

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow afterB me, let him deny himself,j take up his cross daily,C and follow me.k 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.l 25 For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself?m 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words,n the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his gloryo and that of the Father and the holy angels.p 27 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste deathq until they see the kingdom of God.”r

THE TRANSFIGURATION

28 About eight days after this conversation,s he took along Peter, John, and Jamest and went up on the mountain to pray.u 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed,v and his clothes became dazzling white.w 30 Suddenly, two men were talking with him—Moses and Elijah. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

32 Peter and those with him were in a deep sleep,D,x and when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him. 33 As the two men were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master,y it’s good for us to be here. Let’s set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he was saying.z

34 While he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowedaa them. They became afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 Then a voice came from the cloud,ab saying, “This is my Son,ac the Chosen One;E,ad listen to him!”ae

36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent, and at that time told no one what they had seen.

THE POWER OF JESUS OVER A DEMON

37 The next day,af when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he’s my only child.ag 39 A spirit seizes him; suddenly he shrieks, and it throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; severely bruising him, it scarcely ever leaves him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”ah

41 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse* generation,ai how long will I be with you and put up with you?aj Bring your son here.”

42 As the boy was still approaching, the demon knocked him down and threw him into severe convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy,ak and gave him back to his father.al 43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.am

THE SECOND PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH

While everyone was amazed at all the things he was doing,an he told his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink in:G The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”ao

45 But they did not understand this statement;ap it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it,aq and they were afraid to ask him about it.

WHO IS THE GREATEST?

46 An argument started among them about who was the greatest of them.ar 47 But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts,H,as took a little child and had him stand next to him. 48 He told them, “Whoever welcomesI this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.at For whoever is least among you—this one is great.”au

IN HIS NAME

49 John responded,a “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,b and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.”c

50 “Don’t stop him,” Jesus told him, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”A,d

THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM

51 When the days were coming to a close for him to be taken up,e he determined* f to journey to Jerusalem.g 52 He sent messengers ahead of himself,h and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritansi to make preparations for him. 53 But they did not welcome him, because he determined to journey to Jerusalem.j 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”C,k

55 But he turned and rebuked them,* 56 and they went to another village.

FOLLOWING JESUS

57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to him,l “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 Then he said to another, “Follow me.”

“Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.”

60 But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.”m

61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.”n

62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

SENDING OUT THE SEVENTY-TWO

10 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-twoE others, and he sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He told them,o “The harvestp is abundant, but the workersq are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.r 3 Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves.s 4 Don’t carry a money-bag,t traveling bag,u or sandals;v don’t greet anyone along the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peacew to this household.’ 6 If a person of peace is there, your peacex will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages.y Don’t move from house to house. 8 When you enter any town, and they welcome you, eat the things set before you.z 9 Heal the sickaa who are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of Godab has come nearac you.’ 10 When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We are wiping off even the dust of your town that clings to our feet as a witness against you.ad Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, on that dayae it will be more tolerable for Sodomaf than for that town.ag

UNREPENTANT TOWNS

13 “Woeah to you,ai Chorazin!aj Woe to you, Bethsaida!ak For if the miraclesal that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,am they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.an 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgmentao than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum,ap will you be exalted to heaven?aq No, you will go down to Hades.ar 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me.as Whoever rejects you rejects me.at And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”au

THE RETURN OF THE SEVENTY-TWO

17 The seventy-twoF,av returned with joy, saying,aw “Lord, even the demonsax submit to us in your name.”ay

18 He said to them, “I watched Satanaz fall from heaven like lightning.ba 19 Look, I have given you the authoritybb to tramplebc on snakesbd and scorpionsbe and over all the power of the enemy;bf nothing at all will harm you.bg 20 However, don’t rejoice thatG the spiritsbh submit to you,bi but rejoice that your names are writtenbj in heaven.”

THE SON REVEALS THE FATHER

21 At that timea heA rejoiced in the HolyB Spiritb and said, “I praiseC you, Father,c Lord of heaven and earth,d because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligente and revealed them to infants.f Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure.D,g 22 All things haveE been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son desiresF to reveal him.”h

23 Then turning to his disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you see but didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.”i

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

25 Thenj an expert in the lawk stood up to testl him, saying, “Teacher,m what must I do to inherit eternal life?”n

26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “Love the Lord your Godo with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,”p and “your neighbor as yourself.”G,q

28 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”r

29 But wanting to justify himself,s he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”t

30 Jesus took up the question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritanu on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.v 34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oilw and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next dayH he took out two denarii, Igave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’

36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

37 “The one who showed mercyx to him,” he said.

Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

MARTHA AND MARY

38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Marthay welcomed him into her home.J 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’sK feetz and was listening to what he said.L 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you careaa that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”M,ab

41 The LordA answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,ac 42 but one thing is necessary.N,ad Mary has made the right choice,O and it will not be taken away from her.”

THE LORD’S PRAYER

11 He was prayingae in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”af

2 He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say,ag

Father,P,ah

your nameai be honored as holy.aj

Your kingdom come.Q,ak

3 Give us each day our daily bread.R,al

4 And forgive us our sins,am

for we ourselves also forgive everyone

in debt to us.S,an

And do not bring us into temptation.”T,ao

ASK, SEARCH, KNOCK

5 He also said to them, “Suppose one of youU has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ 7 Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness,A he will get up and give him as much as he needs.a

9 “Sob I say to you, ask,c and it will be given to you. Seek,d and you will find. Knock,e and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his sonB asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil,f know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Fatherg give the Holy Spirith to those who ask him?”

A HOUSE DIVIDED

14 Nowi he was driving out a demonj that was mute.k When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,l the rulerm of the demons.”n 16 And others, as a test,o were demanding of him a signp from heaven.

17 Knowing their thoughts,q he told them, “Every kingdom dividedr against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satans also is divided against himself, how will his kingdomt stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sonsu drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God,v then the kingdom of Godw has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowersx him, he takes from him all his weapons* y he trustedz in, and divides up his plunder.aa 23 Anyone who is not with me is against me,ab and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.

AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT’S RETURN

24 “Whenac an unclean spiritad comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest,ae and not finding rest, it thenD says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ 25 Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spiritsaf more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”ag

TRUE BLESSEDNESS

27 As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowdah raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!”ai

28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of Godaj and keep it.”ak

THE SIGN OF JONAH

29 As the crowds were increasing, he began saying, “This generational is an evil generation.am It demands a sign,an but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.E,ao 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Manap will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the southaq will rise up at the judgmentar with the men of this generation and condemnas them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,at and look—something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and look—something greater than Jonah is here.

THE LAMP OF THE BODY

33 “Noau one lights a lampav and puts it in the cellar or under a basket,F but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body.aw When your eye is healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad,ax your body is also full of darkness. 35 Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY DENOUNCED

37 As he was speaking, a Phariseea asked him to dine with him. So he went in and reclined at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that he did not first perform the ritual washingA,b before dinner.c 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greedd and evil.e 40 Fools!f Didn’t he who made the outside make the inside too? 41 But give from what is within to the poor,B,g and then everything is cleanh for you.

42 “But woei to you Pharisees! You give a tenthC,j of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypassD justicek and love for God.E,l These things you should have done without neglecting the others.

43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seatm in the synagoguesn and greetings in the marketplaces.

44 “Woe to you!F You are like unmarked graves;o the people who walk over them don’t know it.”

45 One of the experts in the lawp answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.”

46 Then he said, “Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdensq that are hard to carry, and yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.r

47 “Woe to you! You build tombsG for the prophets,s and your fathers killedt them. 48 Therefore, you are witnessesu that you approveH,v the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments.I 49 Because of this, the wisdom of Godw said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles,x and some of them they will kill and persecute,’y 50 so that this generationz may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the worldJ,aa—51 from the blood of Abelab to the blood of Zechariah,ac who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.

“Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.K

52 “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge.ad You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hinderedae those who were trying to go in.”

53 When he left there,L the scribes and the Pharisees began to opposeaf him fiercely and to cross-examine him about many things; 54 they were lying in waitag for him to trap him in something he said.M,ah