The Twelve Apostles
1 uAnd he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them vauthority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the wtwelve apostles are these: first, xSimon, who is called Peter, and yAndrew his brother; zJames the son of Zebedee, and aJohn his brother; 3 bPhilip and cBartholomew; dThomas and eMatthew the tax collector; fJames the son of Alphaeus, and gThaddaeus;1 4 hSimon the Zealot,2 and iJudas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
5 jThese twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere kamong the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the llost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And mproclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is nat hand.’3 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,4 cast out demons. You received owithout paying; give pwithout pay. 9 Acquire qno gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics5 or sandals or a staff, for rthe laborer deserves his food. 11 And swhatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your tpeace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, ushake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be vmore bearable on the day of judgment for wthe land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Persecution Will Come
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of xwolves, so be ywise as serpents and zinnocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their asynagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before bgovernors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the cSpirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 dBrother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. eBut the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they fpersecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 g“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant6 above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. hIf they have called the master of the house iBeelzebul, jhow much more will they malign7 those of his household.
Have No Fear
26 k“So have no fear of them, for lnothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather mfear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.8 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?9 And nnot one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who oacknowledges me before men, I also will packnowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever qdenies me before men, I also will rdeny before my Father who is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
34 s“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set ta man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 uWhoever loves vfather or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not wtake his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 xWhoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40 y“Whoever receives you receives me, and zwhoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And awhoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Why Do You Hide Yourself?
1 wWhy, O Lord, do you stand far away?
Why do you xhide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
ylet them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one zgreedy for gain curses1 and renounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face2 the wicked does not seek him;3
all his thoughts are, a“There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
7 bHis mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
cin hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, dhe will never see it.”
12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
eforget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
fyou have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
gcall his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 hThe Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do ijustice to the fatherless and the joppressed,
kso that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
