Matthew 10
1And having summoned his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every ailment.
2Now the 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; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot—the one who handed him over.
5These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them: "Do not go on any road leading to the Gentiles, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as you go, proclaim: 'The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, cast out demons. Freely you received; freely give.
9"Do not acquire gold or silver or copper for your money-belts, 10nor a traveler's bag for the road, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff—for the worker is worthy of his food. 11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And whoever does not receive you or listen to your words—as you leave that house or that town, shake off the dust from your feet. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
16"Look—I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. So become shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17But beware of people, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18And you will be brought before governors and kings on account of me, as a witness to them and to the nations. 19But when they hand you over, do not be anxious about how to speak or what to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21"Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22And you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end—this one will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. For truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
26"So do not fear them. For nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
29"Are not two sparrows sold for a single assarion? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30And even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So do not fear—you are worth more than many sparrows.
32"Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in the heavens. 33But whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father who is in the heavens.
34"Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person's enemies will be the members of his own household.
37"Whoever 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. 38And whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 41Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous person because he is righteous will receive a righteous person's reward. 42And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple—truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward."