Matthew 10

1Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal every disease and every illness. 2The twelve apostles were these. First came Simon, known as Peter, with his brother Andrew; then James son of Zebedee, with his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed him.

5Jesus sent these twelve out, and he charged them: “Stay off the roads that lead to the Gentiles, and do not go into any Samaritan town. 6Go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. 7Wherever you go, preach this: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8Heal those who are sick, raise the dead, make lepers clean, drive out demons. You received without paying, so give without charging. 9Do not provide yourselves with money for your belts, whether gold, silver, or copper. 10Take no bag for the road, no second tunic, no sandals, and no staff. Workers have earned their food. 11When you go into a town or village, ask who in it is worthy, and stay with that person until you move on. 12As you go into the home, greet the family. 13If that household is worthy, let your peace come to rest on it. But if it is unworthy, let the peace you gave come back to you. 14Some will not receive you or listen to your message. When you leave that house or that town, shake the dust from your feet. 15Truly I tell you, on the day of judgment the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better than that town.

16Remember, I am the one sending you out, like sheep with wolves all around. So be shrewd like snakes, yet harmless like doves. 17Be on guard against people. They will hand you over to local councils and whip you in their synagogues. 18Because of me they will take you to stand before governors and kings. There you will bear witness to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when you are handed over, do not be anxious over how to answer or what to say. In that hour you will be given the words to speak. 20The speaker will not be you; it will be your Father’s Spirit speaking in you. 21One brother will hand another over to be killed, and a father his own child. Children will turn on their parents and send them to their death. 22Everyone will hate you because of my name. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. 23If they hunt you down in one town, escape to the next. Truly I tell you, the Son of Man will come before you have completed your work in the towns of Israel.

24No disciple ranks above the teacher, and no servant above the master. 25It is enough for disciples to become like their teacher, and for servants to become like their master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!

26So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered will be uncovered, and every secret will come to light. 27The things I tell you in the dark, you must say in the open; the things you hear as a whisper, you must proclaim from the housetops. 28Those who kill the body have no power to kill the soul, so do not be afraid of them. Be afraid instead of him who can destroy soul and body alike in hell. 29Two sparrows sell for a penny, do they not? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father. 30As for you, even the hairs on your head have all been counted. 31So do not be afraid. You are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows.

32So everyone who openly confesses me before others, I also will confess before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever denies me in front of people will be denied by me in the presence of my Father in heaven.

34Do not imagine that my coming was to bring peace on earth. I came to bring a sword, not peace. 35My coming will set son against father, daughter against mother, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. 36People’s enemies will be those of their own household. 37Whoever puts love for father or mother above me is not worthy of me, and whoever puts love for son or daughter above me is not worthy of me. 38Whoever refuses to pick up their own cross and walk behind me is not worthy of me. 39Those who secure their own life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

40To welcome you is to welcome me, and to welcome me is to welcome him who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because that person is a prophet will be given a prophet’s reward; anyone who receives a righteous person because that person is righteous will be given the reward of the righteous. 42And whoever gives one of these little ones no more than a cup of cold water because that one is a disciple—truly I tell you, such a person will never lose their reward.”